St. Luke's Health and Baylor College of Medicine Reach Equitable Agreement with Cigna

HOUSTON, Feb. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- St. Luke's Health and its academic affiliate Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) are back in-network with Cigna, adding the insurer to a large group of in-network carriers. The agreements pave the way for more than 66,000 Cigna patients to receive their healthcare at hospitals in the St. Luke's Health network or with a Baylor doctor. The effective date for St. Luke's Health is March 1, 2023, and BCM's date was January 9, 2023. Patients can begin making appointments for in-network services now; please ensure the appointment happens on/ after March 1, 2023.

St. Luke's Health continues to work to quickly reach an agreement with Cigna LifeSOURCE, the transplant network, to ensure coverage for transplant-related care. 

"The new contract is good news for thousands of families across Southeast Texas who are Cigna-insured and rely on St. Luke's Health for their care," said St. Luke's Health CEO T. Douglas Lawson. "It allows us to continue to provide the essential high-value, high-quality care that our patients and their families expect from us." 

The newly signed contracts bring to an end a long period during which St. Luke's Health hospitals and BCM physicians were out of network with Cigna. "Termination of our previous contract was a difficult decision," said Lawson, "but it was necessary to address the financial sustainability of St. Luke's Health. These are challenging economic times for everyone, and our new agreement ensures that our patients again have the option of choosing great healthcare at great value without significantly affecting their insurance rates."

"We appreciate our patients, providers, employers and others who have supported our efforts during this period of termination," said Lawson.

Cigna-insured patients who have questions about their healthcare options at St. Luke's Health should contact a Cigna representative at the number on the back of their insurance card.

St. Luke's Health is a trusted and highly regarded resource in the greater Houston and Southeast Texas medical communities. With an integrated health network dedicated to delivering advanced, compassionate medical care, St. Luke's Health physicians perform cutting-edge research while adhering to a Christian ministry of healing. In addition to its unique academic and community partnerships with Baylor College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, and the Texas Heart Institute, St. Luke's Health is nationally recognized as having some of the best physicians and hospitals in the country.

St. Luke's Health's clinically integrated network of care includes sixteen high-quality short-term acute care hospitals, five free-standing emergency departments, and two express care/urgent care centers across greater Houston, Bryan/College Station, and Lufkin and East Texas. With more than 362 employed and 1,585 aligned providers delivering exceptional care, St. Luke's Health employs more than 21,000 employees, providers, and volunteers who deliver safe, high-quality, compassionate care through a comprehensive network of academic and community partners.

SOURCE St. Luke’s Health