Mississippi

Blue Cross sues top UMMC officials over PR campaign

Published

2 years ago

July 29, 2022

Blue Cross sues top UMMC officials over PR campaign

Blue Cross & Blue Defend of Mississippi is suing a number of prime College of Mississippi Medical Heart staff, alleging defamation and civil conspiracy over the general public relations marketing campaign the hospital has been waging in opposition to the insurer as a consequence of their contract dispute.

Blue Cross filed a lawsuit in Rankin County’s circuit court docket on Thursday in opposition to UMMC staff LouAnn Woodward, Vice Chancellor for Well being Affairs and Dean of the College of Drugs, Alan Jones, Affiliate Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs, Marc Rolph, Government Director of Communications and Advertising, and different unnamed UMMC staff.

Rolph declined to touch upon the lawsuit.

UMMC itself shouldn’t be named as a defendant within the lawsuit as a result of state legislation grants UMMC immunity for defamation dedicated by its staff.

UMMC has been out of community with Blue Cross, the state’s largest insurer, since April 1 as a consequence of disagreements over reimbursement charges and Blue Cross’ high quality care plan. Since then, UMMC has spent almost $279,000 on digital adverts, commercials and billboards attacking the insurer.

Within the lawsuit, Blue Cross alleges that the general public relations marketing campaign was “designed to disseminate false and defamatory statements about Blue Cross to the general public.”

Blue Cross’ main subject with the marketing campaign’s ads and varied public statements the defendant’s have made is that they allege Blue Cross ended its contract with UMMC and the insurer has “excluded” UMMC from its community of suppliers because of this. Since UMMC voluntarily ended its contracts with Blue Cross, the insurer claims UMMC’s marketing campaign is defamatory and has harmed its repute and enterprise.

Blue Cross has continued to supply community degree reimbursement charges for its clients that search care at UMMC, however the hospital has refused to just accept these funds. Because of this refusal and UMMC being the occasion that ended their relationship, Blue Cross says it’s UMMC who’s stopping the insurer’s clients from receiving care on the medical heart.

The insurer additionally claims within the lawsuit that different public feedback UMMC officers have made associated to the contract dispute are false. One such declare is that Blue Cross has not elevated its reimbursement charges to UMMC since 2018. Whereas UMMC claims the one improve it has acquired in recent times is a 1% improve in 2018, Blue Cross claims it has elevated reimbursement charges yearly since then. Since all monetary agreements between the 2 events are confidential, Mississippi Right now is unable to confirm the claims of both occasion on this subject.

One other declare Blue Cross says is fake is that UMMC was not accountable for eradicating transplant sufferers insured by Blue Cross from their transplant lists.

In keeping with Blue Cross, a transplant affected person was scheduled to have their surgical procedure throughout this grace interval, however the hospital canceled the process. In one other occasion, the mother and father of a pediatric transplant affected person have been suggested to hunt their youngster’s care out-of-state. Each sufferers finally acquired that surgical procedure “solely after Blue Cross vigorously challenged UMMC’s actions.” The insurer claims that different cases like these have occurred.

Mississippi Right now has beforehand reported on transplant sufferers who’ve been pressured to hunt their care out-of-state. Others have been unable to get estimates of how a lot their surgical procedures would price from UMMC or Blue Cross as required by federal legislation.

Blue Cross is in search of an injunction in opposition to the continued publication and dissemination of the statements it considers defamatory in addition to financial damages from every of the defendants.

Learn the total criticism right here:

Editor’s be aware: UMMC, by way of an advert company, has positioned paid ads in regards to the BCBS dispute on Mississippi Right now’s web site. Advertisers don’t have any enter within the editorial course of.

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Mississippi

It’s surreal: Mississippi state senator was in New Orleans at time of attack

Published

1 hour ago

January 2, 2025

Press Room

It’s surreal: Mississippi state senator was in New Orleans at time of attack

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) -Some Mississippians were in New Orleans to ring in the new year, including Mississippi state Senator Michael McClendon from DeSoto County. His family arrived in the city earlier in the day Tuesday ahead of the Billy Strings concert they attended. They never went down to Bourbon Street but they were staying a block away.

“Concert lasted till about 12:15 or 12:30,” he recalled. “Took an Uber back. Got here about 1:30. It’s just normal New Year’s Eve. Everybody having fun… We got in our room and hear sirens about 3:15. Wakes us up. You’re in New Orleans. You you hear sirens. But I started getting calls and texts about 6:00 this morning. You alright? You alright? Click the news, the TV on, and I mean, see this tragedy.”

McClendon was standing on the edge of the yellow crime scene tape that was still blocking Canal Street Wednesday morning when we spoke with him.

“People are just walking around like in disbelief and confusion and you know you can see some anger in people’s faces also,” noted McClendon. “I hurt for the family and the victims… Supposed to be a festive time, then a tragedy like this happens… Puts things in perspective. It’s a crazy world we live in.”

He describes the feeling of being there during what’s been called a terrorist attack as surreal.

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Mississippi

Nikyra Dedeaux, Mississippi teen who wanted to be a nurse, among the dead in New Orleans

Published

9 hours ago

January 1, 2025

Press Room

Nikyra Dedeaux, Mississippi teen who wanted to be a nurse, among the dead in New Orleans

A Mississippi man who was celebrating New Year’s Eve in New Orleans says his friend who dreamed of becoming a nurse was among the people killed in an attack on Bourbon Street.

Zion Parsons, 18, said a vehicle suddenly appeared and he watched it hit his friend, 18-year-old Nikyra Dedeaux. At least 10 people were killed.

Parsons described the crowd scattering and the gruesome aftermath.

“Bodies, bodies all up and down the street, everybody screaming and hollering” Parsons said.

He said he watched as authorities put a tarp over Dedeaux’s body. He later called Dedeaux’s family to tell them what had happened.

“I hadn’t had time to cry up until I called her mother and she asked me, ‘Where’s my baby’,” Parsons said. “That broke me.”

Officials say residents and visitors should feel safe in New Orleans even as they have repeatedly acknowledged that they are aggressively seeking additional possible suspects in the attack.

During a news conference, Gov. Jeff Landry bristled at a question about how officials were confident that Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar did not act alone, saying, “Why would we tell you?”

But a Louisiana State Police bulletin obtained by The Associated Press and circulated among law enforcement contained a possible clue. The document said surveillance footage captured three men and a woman placing one of multiple improvised explosive devices.

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Mississippi

Poultry from Mississippi chicken flock tests positive for bird flu

Published

17 hours ago

January 1, 2025

Press Room

Poultry from Mississippi chicken flock tests positive for bird flu

COPIAH COUNTY, Miss. (WLBT) – Poultry from a commercial broiler chicken flock in Copiah County has tested positive for H5N1 avian influenza, or bird flu.

The Mississippi Board of Animal Health announced the news on Tuesday, saying it had received notification from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory.

In response, the state veterinarian has quarantined the affected area, and the birds on the property have been “depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease.”

Birds from the flock have not entered the food system, MBAH stated.

According to the agency, avian influenza does not present a food safety risks, and poultry and eggs are safe to eat when handled and cooked properly.

All poultry must reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit as a safety precaution.

MBAH states that avian influenza in birds can cause sudden death; lack of energy or appetite; decreased egg production; soft-shelled or misshapen eggs; swelling or purple discoloration of head, eyelids, comb, hocks; nasal discharge; coughing; sneezing; incoordination; and diarrhea.

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