Thousands of rural residents in several central Arizona towns and cities have lost in-network access to Dignity Health’s Yavapai Regional Medical Center after negotiations between Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona and the medical provider broke down.
The facility provides emergency and other care to Prescott, Chino Valley, Paulden and other communities in the region. Instead, patients will now have to travel hours to receive care and non-emergency services.
Anthony Tores, president and CEO at the medical center, criticized the decision, saying Blue Cross was “unwilling” to agree to a new contract that would “put patients and our community first.”