MENDOCINO Co.,12/24/23 — All three of Mendocino County’s big hospitals will now fully accept Blue Shield medical insurance again, providing a big sigh of relief to many local patients who had been faced with being unable to get X-rays, tests and other hospital services. Blue Shield is one of the primary insurance companies in the county. The decision impacts numerous hospitals in California, including Adventist Health Howard Memorial in Willits, Adventist Health Mendocino Coast and Adventist Health Ukiah Valley.
See our previous coverage of the contract negotiations here. A press release follows from Adventist Health:
ROSEVILLE, Calif. Dec. 21, 2023 – Blue Shield of California and Adventist Health have reached a new agreement that provides Blue Shield members in-network access to Adventist hospitals.
The arrangement includes all 18 Adventist hospitals across California and is effective Dec 1, 2023.
“As a mission-driven health plan, our goal is for our members to have access to quality care that’s sustainably affordable,” said Aliza Arjoyan, Blue Shield’s Senior Vice President of Provider Partnerships and Network Management. “Adventist Health has been a part of Blue Shield’s network of providers for a long time, and I look forward to continued collaboration with the hospital system.”
“We are pleased to continue our long-working relationship with Blue Shield of California,” says Kerry L. Heinrich, President and CEO. “Our mission calls us to provide access to high-quality care close to home in the communities we serve, and we are excited to continue caring for Blue Shield members.”
Blue Shield serves more than 4.8 million members in California through network relationships with about 350 hospitals and more than 122,000 providers across the state.
