Following a month and a half of negotiations with CareFirst, Johns Hopkins Medicine lets patients know of potential changes to CareFirst’s coverage of Johns Hopkins doctors, nurses and other caregivers.

On Tuesday, Sept. 6, after more than a month of negotiations, Johns Hopkins Medicine provided CareFirst with a 90-day notice of its intent to terminate, as required by CareFirst in Johns Hopkins Medicine’s current contract with them, if the two organizations cannot reach an agreement.

This decision came after repeated efforts to arrive at an agreement on a fair increase to what CareFirst pays Johns Hopkins doctors, nurses and other caregivers for care provided for patients with CareFirst health insurance.

Johns Hopkins Medicine is committed to transparency and to being a resource for its patients. To provide patients opportunity to ask questions, Johns Hopkins Medicine began patient outreach on Sept. 8, notifying Johns Hopkins patients with CareFirst health insurance of potential changes to their coverage, should Johns Hopkins and CareFirst not be able to reach a fair agreement by Dec. 5, 2022.

If a fair agreement cannot be reached within that 90-day period, Johns Hopkins doctors, nurses and other caregivers, as well as ambulatory surgery centers, may have to leave the CareFirst network.

“Our patients are our highest priority, and we want to make sure that we can deliver the care they deserve,” said Ted DeWeese, M.D., interim dean of the medical faculty and CEO, Johns Hopkins Medicine. “Unfortunately, what CareFirst pays Johns Hopkins’ nurses, doctors and other caregivers has not kept up with inflation, and is lower than what most other area insurance companies pay. Our hope is that we can reach a fair agreement and Johns Hopkins nurses and doctors can stay in the CareFirst network, and that there is no impact on the cost for patients to receive care at Johns Hopkins.”

Johns Hopkins Medicine is doing everything possible to come to a fair agreement with CareFirst by the Dec. 5 deadline. In the meantime, it is important that potentially affected patients have their questions answered and have access to resources.

At hopkinsmedicine.org/CareFirstCoverage, people can learn more about these potential changes to CareFirst’s coverage of Johns Hopkins. This website will be regularly updated with new information. 

“We are committed to providing care to the people of Maryland and to the people who visit Johns Hopkins from across the United States,” said Kevin Sowers, president of the Johns Hopkins Health System and executive vice president of Johns Hopkins Medicine. “We just need CareFirst to account for the rising cost of providing health care and to pay us rates that are comparable to what other health insurance companies in the market pay. I believe CareFirst cares as much about this community as we do, and we hope that we are able to reach a fair agreement.”

Click here for the latest information about changes to CareFirst’s coverage of Johns Hopkins’ care or call the Johns Hopkins Medicine call center at 443-997-0549. The center will be open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST.