Vets Care Temporarily in Limbo at Cody Regional Health
Written by Andrew-Rossi on October 5, 2020
UPDATE (3 p.m. 10/07/2020):
KODI has confirmed additional details on the current state of veteran care coverage with Cody Regional Health.
According to Ashley Trudo, spokeswoman for Cody Regional Health, all veterans who received a pre-authorization for a procedure before Oct. 5 will still have that procedure covered, even if the procedure occurs later this year or in early 2021. Procedures pre-authorized after Oct. 5 will not be covered until Cody Regional Health is shown as an accredited institution.
Veterans with questions about their coverage are encouraged to contact their doctor, surgeon, or Cody Regional Health.
TriWest Healthcare Alliance released this statement on the current situation:
“TriWest is honored to work alongside VA in administering community health care to Veterans within CCN Region 4, which includes the state of Wyoming.
The contract between TriWest Healthcare Alliance and Cody Regional has been signed and fully executed. As a final step, we are processing their credentialing data and loading it into TriWest and VA systems, which is necessary in order for Cody Regional to care for Veterans.
We will make that data processing step a priority as we work to close the loop for this provider of care.”
No timeline was provided by TriWest as of Wednesday afternoon.
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Original Story:
As a result of network changes with the Department of Veterans Affairs, Cody Regional Health is currently unable to cover veterans’ care.
A Monday post in the Facebook group Wapiti Whisperer suggested the hospital failed to renew their VA contract after a resident called a VA clinic. That clinic said veterans would have to go to the Powell ER or Sheridan for assistance.
Cody Regional Health took to the Facebook group Cody Classifieds to address the rumor: a new contract was signed and executed back in August. The VA remains a valued, accredited partner of the hospital.
“Cody Regional Health renewed our contract with the VA Clinic in August, “said Ashley Trudo, Marketing and Public Relations Manager with the hospital. “However, due to COVID-19, TriWest (Healthcare Alliance) has not been able to upload the new contract which therefore shows our providers are not credentialed.
TriWest Healthcare Alliance is the manager of the new Community Care Network that the VA recently selected as its new regional network.
Until the new contract is uploaded to TriWest’s systems, none of Cody’s providers will be shown as credentialed. This means Cody Regional Health cannot cover veterans’ care.
Trudo says, “TriWest needs to help get the VA moving along and get that contract in place on their system.”
Veterans need to talk to their insurance provider directly with their concerns in processing and credentialling if they are coming to Cody Regional for treatment.
Cody Regional Health continues to support veterans and has the capability to treat them, but there is nothing they can do to change this “awful situation.” The ownness is entirely on TriWest.
When asked if there is a timeline for the issue’s resolution, Trudo told KODI that none has been provided as of Monday afternoon.
