UNC Health announced on Thursday that they have signed a long-term agreement with UnitedHealthcare, ensuring that thousands of North Carolina patients will be able to receive treatment at UNC clinics and hospitals while remaining in the network. The agreement covers patients under United’s commercial, Individual Exchange, and Medicare Advantage plans, and comes as their current contract was set to expire on April 1.
Dr. Matt Ewend, chief clinical officer at UNC Health, emphasized that this new agreement will benefit patients across the state by avoiding increased costs and the stress of going out of network or having to find new providers for their care. Negotiations between UNC Health and United began last year and concluded this week with the signing of the new deal, following a similar long-term contract recently announced with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.
UNC Health is working diligently to communicate this news to patients covered by UnitedHealthcare in order to reassure them that their UNC providers will remain unchanged. This agreement marks a significant step in ensuring continued access to quality care for patients in North Carolina.