On Tuesday, North Arkansas Regional Medical Center (NARMC) issued a public notice to reassure patients that the hospital remains in-network with UnitedHealthcare. The notice was made in response to confusion caused by letters sent from the insurer directly to patients suggesting otherwise.
“North Arkansas Regional Medical Center facility and providers remain in-network with UnitedHealthcare,” said the hospital’s statement. “We are not aware of any change that would place our patients out-of-network at this time. We are actively working with UnitedHealthcare to understand why these letters were issued and to endure that any concerns are promptly addressed.”
Patients can continue to receive care at NARMC and with their providers using in-network benefits, the hospital said.
A representative of NARMC further clarified to the Times that the hospital was not notified by UnitedHealthcare of any change to their in-network status, and that they had not received any formal communication indicating that their participation with UnitedHealthcare had ended.
The hospital also confirmed that “the notice originated from UnitedHealthcare and is related to an issue from 2017. However, NARMC has not seen any documentation related to this and there have been multiple renewal applications since this date.”
This is not the first time issues have arisen between the hospital and the insurer. On Nov. 22, 2024, NARMC released a statement about ongoing negotiations with UnitedHealthcare regarding its Medicare Advantage (HMO) plan. “NARMC has been attempting to negotiate with UnitedHealthcare for the Medicare Advantage (HMO) plan. Unfortunately, negotiations have not been successful,” the hospital said at the time.
The 2024 statement also described broader challenges, including delayed payments, erroneous out-of-network notifications to patients, unresolved rate negotiations, and increased administrative burdens.
In December, UnitedHealthcare CEO Dirk McMahon was fatally shot on a New York City street; Luigi Mangione is charged with the shooting. The incident drew national attention to the challenges facing the health care industry. Following the shooting, Andrew Witty, CEO of UnitedHealth Group — UnitedHealthcare’s parent company — wrote an op-ed in The New York Times titled “The Health Care System Is Flawed. Let’s Fix It.”
“No one would design a [health care] system like the one we have,” Witty wrote. “And no one did. It’s a patchwork built over decades. Our mission is to help make it work better.”
As of Tuesday, a search of UnitedHealthcare’s online provider directory still listed NARMC as an in-network provider.
Patients with questions or those needing help confirming their insurance coverage can contact NARMC’s customer service team at 870-414-4008 or customer.service@narmc.com. No additional information was available from the hospital at press time.
