State Treasurer Dale R. Folwell, CPA, and the State Health Plan (Plan) announced today that The Bone and Joint Surgery Clinic has signed a contract to join the North Carolina State Health Plan Network.
The Bone and Joint Surgery Clinic is an independently owned orthopedic practice in Raleigh that has served patients from Wake County and beyond since 1962. Bone and Joint offers board-certified expertise in most orthopedic subspecialties dealing with conditions of the bones, muscles and joints. They also offer the only 3Tesla MRI service in Wake County and offer the highest quality and lowest cost MRI imaging in the state.
“We are proud to have The Bone and Joint Surgery Clinic join us in our efforts to build transparency and reduce health costs for our Plan members," said Folwell. “This long-established clinic is the perfect partner for the Clear Pricing Project and the new North Carolina State Health Plan Network as we strive to keep the State Health Plan financially sustainable for years to come."
"We strongly support the initiative of the State Health Plan. It aligns with our mission to deliver low cost and high value service. We are more than happy to accept the new reimbursement model the state has proposed and welcome all state employees to use our services. It should be much easier for patients to know ahead of time what their costs will be and welcome the rule change that the state is pushing for. We would be more than willing to compare our costs with other providers," said Dr. Paul Burroughs, who joined the practice in 1999.
The North Carolina State Health Plan Network is the result of the Clear Pricing Project (CPP) announced last year. Under CPP, the Plan will move away from a commercial-based payment model to a reference-based, transparent pricing model tied to Medicare rates. Health care providers will be reimbursed for their services at Medicare rates plus an average of 82 percent. Plan members will save more than $50 million.
Providers should visit www.bluecrossnc.com/providers/ncstatehealthplannetwork for more information. Plan members can find more information regarding the Clear Pricing Project at www.shpnc.org.
The State Health Plan, a division of the N.C. Department of State Treasurer, provides health care coverage to more than 727,000 teachers, current and former lawmakers, state university and community college personnel, active and retired state employees, and their dependents.