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CHI St. Vincent/CommonSpirit Health opts out of Arkansas Blue Cross networks

As of today (September 1, 2026), CHI St. Vincent (part of the CommonSpirit Health system) has officially withdrawn from all of the provider networks that serve Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s associated health plans:

  • Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield (fully insured)
  • Arkansas Blue Medicare
  • BlueAdvantage Administrators of Arkansas
  • The Federal Employees Program (FEP)
    • Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program
    • Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Program
  • Health Advantage
  • Octave Blue Cross and Blue Shield
  • Skai Blue Cross Blue Shield

Note: Members who have Medi-Pak® Medicare supplement coverage are not affected.

Arkansas Blue Cross engaged CHI St. Vincent/CommonSpirit Health in contract negotiations for several months, offering a number of proposals, but CHI St. Vincent/CommonSpirit Health ultimately rejected them all. We believe our final proposal was more than reasonable and equitable, but it is as far as we are prepared to go.

We wish CHI St. Vincent/CommonSpirit Health well and greatly appreciate the decades of care that their healthcare providers, facilities and staff have delivered to the people who count on Arkansas Blue Cross and its affiliates for their health coverage.

While we certainly do not agree that the issues CHI St. Vincent/CommonSpirit Health cited in their decision are accurate, we do not believe it would be productive for us to engage in any public debate of their position or ours. Instead, we would rather continue our value-based work and leave the door open to CHI St. Vincent/CommonSpirit Health’s future participation. We have communicated to CHI St. Vincent/CommonSpirit Health that if their focus or circumstances should change in the future, they have an open invitation to rejoin our networks.

The scope of this network disruption

In Arkansas, CHI St. Vincent/CommonSpirit Health have:

Note: Providers whose contracts with Arkansas Blue Cross have been terminated will no longer appear in our online provider directories on our websites or in Blueprint Portal.

The effects of this network disruption

In-network healthcare providers who have admitting privileges to CHI St. Vincent/CommonSpirit Health-owned facilities but are not employed by CHI St. Vincent/CommonSpirit Health will not be affected. However, claims resulting from referrals to CHI St. Vincent/CommonSpirit Health facilities or providers will be considered out-of-network, except in certain circumstances.

But effective immediately, claims for services provided to members of any of the affected health plans will be processed at the out-of-network benefit levels defined in the member’s health plan coverage documents if they are performed by:

  • CHI St. Vincent/CommonSpirit Health facilities
  • Healthcare providers employed by CHI St. Vincent/CommonSpirit Health
  • Affiliated providers who also have chosen to leave our networks

This means affected members will be responsible to pay a much greater share of the cost out of their own pockets. Some health plans don’t cover any portion of out-of-network claims. Plus, out-of-network providers are free to “balance-bill” members for the difference between the health plan’s allowable amount and the full amount of billed charges. Accordingly, many members may be responsible to pay 100% of the billed cost of those services.

The following are examples of affected plans that have no out-of-network benefit, which means those members are solely responsible for paying for the cost of nonemergency out-of-network services:

  • Medicare Advantage plans offered by Arkansas Blue Medicare.
  • Federal Employees Plan (FEP) members who are enrolled in FEP Blue Basic®
  • Federal Employees Plan (FEP) members who are enrolled in FEP Blue Focus®

Finding in-network facilities & providers

To get the most value from their health plan and avoid higher out-of-pocket costs, affected members will need to select an in-network healthcare provider or facility.

Members who have questions about this change or need help identifying an in-network healthcare provider or facility that meets their needs can:

  • Visit Blueprint Portal (our member self-service app).
  • Contact Customer Service at the telephone number on the back of their member ID card.

Temporary continuity of care coverage

Affected members may be eligible to continue to receive services with in-network coverage (continuity of care coverage) for the lesser of 90 days from the date they receive an out-of-network notice or until the condition for which they are being treated is resolved – if transition to another healthcare provider would be inappropriate or unsafe. Members may qualify for this type of temporary coverage if they are:

  • Undergoing a course of treatment for a serious and complex acute illness or condition that is serious enough to require specialized medical treatment to avoid the reasonable possibility of death or permanent harm.
  • Undergoing a course of treatment for a chronic illness or condition that is life-threatening, potentially disabling or congenital and requires specialized medical care over a prolonged period of time.
  • Undergoing a course of institutional or inpatient care.
  • Currently scheduled to undergo nonelective surgery (including postoperative care).
  • Pregnant and undergoing a course of treatment related to the pregnancy. (Note: Qualifying members will have this coverage extended through the duration of the pregnancy and up to six weeks after delivery.)
  • Terminally ill and receiving treatment for that illness.

Affected members may access the continuation of coverage application form at arkansasbluecross.com/continuity or by calling the Customer Service number on the back of their health plan member ID card.

Even if a member qualifies for continuity of care coverage, it is only temporary. In the long term, to get the most value from their health benefits, they still will need to choose an in-network provider before their continuity of care coverage expires.

If members do not qualify for continuity care coverage, to get the most value from their health benefits, they will need to choose an in-network provider as soon as possible.