Currently, Westmoreland Hospital will not accept the UPMC health insurance product. The administration's rationale is that if it did accept UPMC, it would further assist the expansion of the UPMC presence into Westmoreland County.
The reality, however, is that UPMC insurance is here and is growing significantly. My colleagues and I have to turn patients away with UPMC insurance. This creates an inconvenience for the patients and a significant loss of revenue for Westmoreland Hospital.
Frick Hospital is now part of the Westmoreland Health System and continues to accept the UPMC product. What is the logic of two hospitals in the same health system accepting different insurance products⢠Even more puzzling is that Westmoreland Hospital accepts Best Healthcare, which is a UPMC medical assistance managed-care product.
Numerous times in the past few years I have approached the administration and the board and have been told that the matter is "under review." The time is now for this administration to stop playing petty politics with UPMC. Westmoreland Hospital should accept the UPMC insurance and allow the physicians on staff at Westmoreland to bring all our patients to this top-flight community hospital.
