CARIBOU — Starting on Oct. 1, Cary Medical Center and the Northern Maine Medical Center will join two other Aroostook hospitals on the list of preferred hospitals for state employees, as determined by the State Employee Health Commission (SEHC).
Executive Director of the Office of Employee Health and Benefits Laurie Williamson, the office that supports the SEHC, explained the Northern Maine Medical Center in Fort Kent and Cary Medical Center did not meet the criteria to be on the list when it was first solidified for July 1 of this year.
Last month, the SEHC voted to allow hospitals that hadn’t made the preferred hospital list an opportunity to re-submit their proposals; Cary and NMMC were two of many Maine hospitals that elected to do so.
“While they didn’t make the [first] list based on traditional tiering, a subsequent proposal made the commission comfortable that they’d meet the requirements,” Williamson explained.
The decision to place Cary and NMMC on the list amongst other Aroostook hospitals like the Aroostook Medical Center and the Houlton Regional Hospital was praised by State Sen. Troy Jackson (D-Allagash) who had urged the commission to re-open the list.
“As I have said before, both hospitals provide quality care for the people of Aroostook County and I am pleased to know that they will be able to continue to do so for state employees,” Sen. Jackson said.
According to Sen. Jackson’s office, had the SECH not approved Cary and NMMC to the preferred hospitals list, state employees requiring emergency care at the two facilities would have seen an increase of their deductible from $200 to $1,800.
“I want to thank the staff at both hospitals for their hard work to get back on the preferred list,” Sen. Jackson said. “These hospitals are vital to the health and economy of northern Maine and their effort to make the list will make a tremendous financial difference for state employees and their families.”
The SEHC uses industry quality data and financial incentives to improve care and reduce long-term costs to the state’s insurance plan; their ratings for hospitals are based on a variety of criteria, from patient safety and clinical care to feedback from former patients. The data is also used to improve the quality of care for Maine patients and reduce the number of expensive and avoidable problems, complications and readmissions.
The SEHC provides coverage to approximately 34,000 state employees and family members statewide.
(Staff Writer Natalie Bazinet contributed to this story.)
