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Patients Remain Top Priority for Uniontown Hospital

07/01/2014

As health care giants UPMC and Highmark reach a separation plan to coincide with their end-of-contract transition later this year, Uniontown Hospital is proud to announce it will continue to serve the medical needs of the community, regardless of their affiliations with either Highmark or UPMC.

“Our patients have been and will continue to be our priority and our focus,”

Uniontown Hospital CEO Steve Handy said.

We were confident throughout the process of this transition between UPMC and Highmark that our good standing with both would be maintained and we would be able to continue to provide care for all those who need it without having to worry if they are served by one or the other. We will continue to foster our relationships with UPMC and Highmark and keep our patients and their health at the forefront of all of our plans moving forward.

Last week an agreement was reached in preparation for the separation of UPMC and Highmark after a long battle between the health care providers left many patients uncertain of their ability to continue care at the hospitals of their choice

While Uniontown Hospital patients and patients who chose to come to  Uniontown for care and who have insurance coverage through Highmark will be provided in-network care without interruption, other southwestern Pennsylvania residents won’t be as lucky.

Beginning Jan. 1, only seven of UPMC’s 16 major hospitals will remain in-network hospitals for Highmark customers, including Children’s Hospital and Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. 

Major UPMC hospitals including Mercy, Magee-Women’s and Presbyterian will join six additional hospitals that will no longer be considered in-network hospitals for Highmark patients. 

The agreement also stipulates that UPMC Cancer Centers, like the one operated at Uniontown Hospital, will remain open to Highmark patients, provided the insurance carrier approves treatments. 

Another caveat of the deal will allow seriously ill Highmark customers to continue care with UPMC doctors and at UPMC hospitals for a period of up to one year to help alleviate transitions and avoid abrupt treatment interruptions.  

Handy said Uniontown Hospital officials will continue to monitor negotiations between UPMC and Highmark and will work to ensure continuity of care for Fayette County residents.

“We truly are working to make a healthy difference in our community and that commitment extends to our partnerships and affiliations. We want to provide the best care for every patient, every day, every time,” Handy said. 

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