Holy Family docs, Premera settle dispute

An insurance reimbursement showdown pitting emergency room doctors at Providence Holy Family Hospital against Premera Blue Cross has been resolved. The sides announced a deal that will bring the independent doctors, who operate as Emergency Physician Services PS, back into Premera’s network, saving patients with that insurance unexpected out-of-pocket medical bills if they end up in the Holy Family ER. The agreement announced Wednesday is effective March 1, ending an impasse that began last year and left many Premera patients bewildered when they sought emergency treatment at Holy Family and later received a separate doctors’ bill. Holy Family serves much of North Spokane and had until last year been the busiest ER in the region. Premera is among the largest health insurers in Eastern Washington.