If you receive your medical insurance coverage through the United Health Care Medicare Advantage Choice Plan, you may have been notified, recently, that the Hemphill County Hospital is no longer in-network for their plan.

That news came as a surprise to HCH CEO Christy Francis who, after researching the situation, admitted, “We definitely were not in network. I just don’t know why.”

The issue will be resolved quickly, Francis assured The Record on Monday, noting that the hospital district is in the process of becoming in-network. “It looks like it will be pretty simple,” she said. “They are not going to mess with our rates.”

Francis said she is hopeful that HCH will be loaded into UHC’s system by April 1. “If it’s sooner, then even better,” she said.

In the meantime, though. Francis promised, “We will work with anybody out-of-network to get that to in-network deductible,” she said. “We will make sure that if they need any other services, they are covered.”

“If you’re on UHC Advantage Choice Regional PPO, whether we are in or out of network,” she said, “they are required to pay us 100 percent of Medicare. But it is more comforting to recipients if they know they are going to an in-network facility.” Francis said the hospital has encountered no problems with any patients not

Francis said the hospital has encountered no problems with any patients not receiving full coverage. “We’ve been doing UHC for a long time,” she added, “and have not had any issues with anybody being out-of-network. Whether it’s inpatient, ER, or lab, they are paying the exact same thing, and there’s no out-of-pocket.”