Duke Health and UnitedHealthcare have reached a deadline deal that lets more than 172,000 Duke patients stay covered with their doctors.
The contract between Duke and United was set to expire Friday. That would have meant that Duke patients with UnitedHealthcare coverage would have suddenly found themselves out of network and possibly paying higher prices to keep seeing their doctor.
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However, Friday morning both sides posted on their websites that they've agreed ot a new contract.
Duke Health's site said: "After months of negotiations, we are proud to announce that Duke Health remains in-network with UnitedHealthcare. Patients with United can access the expert care teams they trust as they normally would. This agreement protects our patients’ access to high-quality care and secures fair reimbursement for our services."
UHC's site said: "UnitedHealthcare and Duke Health reach multi-year agreement that ensures continued network access to the health system for commercial and Medicare Advantage members while expanding access to care for UnitedHealthcare Medicaid members."