Promise Regional Medical Center recently finalized a one year contract with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas to become a member of their Plan 65 Select hospital network.

The hospital’s participation in the network will result in lower medical costs for the individuals currently enrolled in the program. Prior to this contract being in place, plan enrollees could pay a lower rate, but this meant they could not use the local hospital for non-emergency treatment. There are 500 Reno County residents that selected this option. They are now eligible to use Promise Regional, as it’s an in-network provider.

“Becoming a Plan 65 Select network member has been a priority of mine since I began my brief tenure as CEO,” said Kevin Miller, president and chief executive officer of Promise Regional Medical Center. “You never want to hear that people who can use your hospital are leaving our community because we have a system in place that won’t accept their insurance. After reviewing the numbers, it made sense to join the network. We believe the increase in volume we expect to gain will offset the reduced reimbursements received, which had previously been the reason the hospital did not participate in the plan.”

The hospital’s in-network status was granted December 1, 2011, making all Plan 65 Select members eligible to use Promise Regional for their healthcare. Anyone wishing to enroll in the Plan 65 program may contact Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas at 800-752-6650, but must do so prior to the deadline of Tuesday, December 13, 2011.