“In the past, Mercy Hospital Fort Scott has been able to accept Blue Cross/Blue Shield, but Mercy Hospital Joplin and Springfield were excluded,” said Tina Rockhold media spokesperson for Mercy Hospital said.

Kansas residents with Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s plan which are part of the Blue Card network now have access to Mercy Joplin doctors, hospitals, labs, imaging facilities and other health care services, effective January 1, 2018.

 Mercy Joplin and Springfield are now in-network with a number of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas health insurance plans.

“This is a tremendous benefit to our patients,” Rockhold said. “Because if they are transferred or need specialty care not offered here, they can now receive care in Joplin or if need be in Springfield.”

“In Springfield, for example,  there is a highly specialized pediatric service,” she said. “If needed patients could be treated there.”

Click here for a list of Blue Cross Blue Shield plans accepting Mercy providers.

Patients with the following plans will receive in-network privileges at Mercy Joplin: Blue Choice, Preferred Care, Preferred Care Blue, Pathway/Pathway X and Medicare Advantage.

Because of its efficient, quality care, Mercy recently was named one of the top five large health systems for the second year in a row by IBM Watson Health’s Truven Health Analytics.

In addition to quality care across the board, patients in these Blue Cross Blue Shield plans will have access to a variety of Mercy health care specialties in Joplin that include:

• Mercy hospitals located in Joplin, Carthage, and Springfield
• Mercy Kids Pediatric Specialist Outreach Clinics in Joplin, and a Mercy Children’s Hospital in Springfield with dozens of physician subspecialists including pediatric critical care, orthopedic, endocrinology and neurosurgery
• A neonatal intensive unit with private rooms that give families the space to participate in their child’s care
• First Hybrid Operating Room in Joplin for open heart and brain surgeries
• Advanced specialty services for cardiovascular, spine, bariatrics, neurology and many more

The full list of Blue Cross Blue Shield plans accepting Mercy providers follows:

Medical Networks

• Blue Access – PPO

• Blue Access Choice – PPO

• Blue Traditional

• Medicare Advantage HMO

• Medicare Advantage PPO

• Pathway

• Pathway X

Medical (Individual & Families)

• Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Gold Direct Access, a Multi-state Plan
• Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Silver Direct Access, a Multi-state Plan

• Blue Access Choice – S

• Bronze Pathway

• Bronze Pathway X

• Catastrophic Pathway

• Catastrophic Pathway X

• Gold Pathway

• Gold Pathway X

• Lumenos Plans (Blue Access Choice)

• Lumenos Plans (Blue Access)

• National PPO (Blue Card Basic)

• National PPO (Blue Card PPO)

• Silver Pathway

• Silver Pathway X

Medicare

• Anthem MediBlue (HMO)

• Anthem MediBlue (PPO)

• Anthem MediBlue Dual Advantage (HMO SNP)

• Anthem MediBlue Plus (HMO)

• Anthem MediBlue Preferred (PPO)

• Blue Medicare Advantage (PPO)

• Blue Medicare Rx (PDP) with Senior Rx Plus

• Blue Medicare Rx Plus (PDP)

• Blue Medicare Rx Premier (PDP)

• Blue Medicare Rx Value (PDP)

Federal Employee Program

• Federal Employee Program

International

• Blue Card Worldwide

Mercy, named one of the top five large U.S. health systems in 2017 by Truven, an IBM Watson Health company, serves millions annually. Mercy includes 44 acute care and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, more than 700 physician practices and outpatient facilities, 40,000 co-workers and more than 2,000 Mercy Clinic physicians in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.