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. 

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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.