By MARC JACOBS
Hutch Post
On Wednesday evening Dr. David Gleason, the president of Hutchinson Clinic on a Facebook post accused Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas of blocking information from the clinic.
You can find the video on their Facebook Page. Below is the transcript of the video.
"Hi. I'm David Gleason, president of the Hutchinson clinic. We would first like to express our sincere gratitude to all the businesses, organizations and individual patients who have made the commitment to ensure the Hutchinson clinic remains your in network provider for our Blue Cross Blue Shield patients, we want to reassure you that we are fully dedicated to the high quality care that you've come to expect from the Hutchinson clinic."
"However, we do need to inform you of a recent development Blue Cross Blue Shield has currently blocking information from the Hutchinson clinic, making it difficult for us to provide the necessary medical authorizations as well as the accurate financial estimates we have promised to provide to you for your next appointment."
"We find it deeply concerning that an insurance company would prevent you as a patient from knowing how much your care will cost from the provider or physician of your choice, we remain committed to working with you through this process as we ask for your patience as we navigate these challenges. In the meantime, please continue to reach out to our patient advocacy center. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact or if you need assistance, thank you for your understanding and continued support."
Hutch Post reached out to Blue Cross Blue Shield for their comment. Kristi Zears, manager of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas sent us the below statement.
"Hutchinson Clinic chose to terminate their contract with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, effective Jan. 1, 2025. They are now considered out-of-network providers."
"Being out-of-network means there are certain things they no longer have access to, such as our members’ private health information. This is, and has been our policy, which safeguards and preserves the confidentiality of our members."
"This policy has been communicated to the Hutchinson Clinic administration over the last two years, beginning in September 2023. It has also been shared in our FAQs and related documents available on bcbsks.com/hutch-clinic. We have shared this information with members and the public through direct communication and marketing channels over the last several months."
"We encourage our members to contact us directly with any questions. Our Kansas-based customer service team stands ready to provide assistance."