Large Doctors Group to Leave Tennessee’s Medicaid Managed Care Program Next Year
The Tennessee-based Holston Medical Group, whose 84 providers serve 10,000 TennCare patients in Tennessee's Kingsport and Bristol areas, will exit the program by the end of next year, the AP/NashvilleTennessean reports. Since TennCare, the state's $5.2 billion Medicaid managed care program, began nearly seven years ago, providers have "complained" about its "nightmare of paperwork" and difficulties with managed care organizations supervising care delivery. The Holston Group is the most recent of several doctors' groups to leave the program. Holston Group President Jerry Miller said that the group "brokenheartedly" made the decision not to renew its TennCare contract, but added that doctors felt they could "no longer participate in such a flawed health-care program" if the group expected to "survive" financially. He said, "We believe our decision will make a statement and send a wake-up call to our politicians and state officials. It's just not getting any better." TennCare spokesperson Lola Potter said that alternate providers would be found for the 10,000 patients (AP/Nashville Tennessean, 12/20).
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