Blue Cross Sues Mississippi Med Center Officials for Defamation

Blue Cross & Blue Defend of Mississippi on Thursday mentioned it was suing three staff of the College of Mississippi Medical Middle for allegedly spreading false data.

The lawsuit is the newest growth in a dispute between the state’s largest medical health insurance supplier and the hospital that surfaced in March when the 2 sides failed to succeed in an settlement over how a lot the insurer would pay for affected person care.

On the time the insurer mentioned it had been working with the medical middle to resume the contract with the community’s hospitals since early 2021 however that UMMC was requiring important cost will increase. The medical middle mentioned it requested to be funded on the degree of comparable tutorial medical facilities in different regional cities.

UMMC shouldn’t be named as a defendant within the lawsuit, filed in Rankin County, as a result of it has immunity for defamation dedicated by its staff as a political subdivision of the state beneath Mississippi regulation, in line with a press launch from the insurer asserting the lawsuit. However, the staff — Dr. LouAnn Woodward, dean of the Faculty of Drugs and vice chancellor for well being affairs; Dr. Alan Jones, affiliate vice chancellor for scientific affairs; and Marc Rolph, government director of communications and advertising — don’t have these safeguards, the insurer mentioned.

Within the lawsuit, Blue Cross & Blue Defend of Mississippi alleges the staff’ public statements have made it seem that the insurer dropped UMMC from its well being care supplier community when the insurer says it was UMMC that ended its agreements with the insurer , WJTV reported.

The criticism contends the general public statements have harmed the insurer’s repute and have been made to “coerce Blue Cross & Blue Defend into getting into into new contracts to profit UMMC and the defendants’ private positions with UMMC.” The supplier mentioned the defendants’ actions even have induced “pointless anxiousness, confusion and concern” to its members relating to their well being care, in line with the assertion.

“When UMMC selected to now not be a community supplier, Blue Cross & Blue Defend made it clear it might proceed to pay community degree advantages for lined medical companies,” the corporate mentioned.

Rolph declined remark when requested for a press release from UMMC concerning the lawsuit.

Picture: College of Mississippi Medical Middle advanced in Jackson. (UMC)

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Subjects
Lawsuits
Mississippi