BCBSIL Is Dropping St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria, St. Anthony Medical Center in Rockford and St. Mary Medical Center in Galesburg

St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria, St. Anthony Medical Center in Rockford and St. Mary Medical Center in Galesburg, each a part of the Order of St. Francis Healthcare System (OSF) will no longer be part of the BCBSIL PPO network in 2018, short of a new last minute contract say BCBS. HMO Networks and their patients will not be affected. 

From BCBS:

"Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois is committed to our members, our group customers, as well as the communities we serve. Our current PPO and BlueChoice contracts with St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria, St. Anthony Medical Center in Rockford and St. Mary Medical Center in Galesburg, each apart of the Order of St. Francis Healthcare System (OSF), no longer serve BCBSIL's aim to continue to broaden our members' access to network providers and further enhance our network and product offerings. Our mission is to continue to provide access to quality, cost-effective healthcare in Illinois. That includes creating and designing networks that balance access and affordability of care. We are open to continuing contract discussions with the goal of reaching an agreement that benefits our members and customers."

BCBSIL has been unable to reach agreement with OSF Healthcare System. As a result, BCBSIL has notified OSF that St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria, St. Anthony Medical Center in Rockford and St. Mary Medical Center in Galesburg will not continue to participate in BCBSIL’s PPO and BlueChoice® networks effective on January 1, 2018. The notifications only impact St. Francis Medical Center, St. Anthony Medical Center and St. Mary Medical Center.

BCBSIL has PPO and BlueChoice® arrangements in place with seven additional OSF facilities in Illinois that remain unaffected. In addition, other facilities in the affected areas may choose to participate in the BCBSIL PPO and BlueChoice® networks on January 1, 2018. Network participation may change and the most current information is available at Provider Finder® at bcbsil.com.

With BCBSIL's PPO network continuing to tighten, we recommend the Blue Precision HMO as the best alternative.