Empire BlueCross BlueShield policyholders may no longer be covered for services provided at South Nassau Communities Hospital. The non-profit hospital’s provider network contract with Empire expired on May 1 this year and negotiations between the two entities have turned acrimonious.

In an open letter to South Nassau’s patients and to the community, the hospital’s president and CEO, Richard Murphy, accused BlueCross BlueShield of “shortchanging South Nassau for years,” while paying larger, for-profit hospitals in the area higher reimbursement rates for the same services.

In its response statement, Empire advised patients to seek care at other area providers. “Not only will you avoid potential difficulties,” it cautioned, “you will have lower out-of-pocket costs.”

South Nassau’s contract with BlueCross allowed for a two-month wind-down period. If re-negotiations aren’t completed by July 1, the hospital’s Empire BlueCross BlueShield patient population will lose coverage for most of its services.

Get the full story here, from the Long Island Herald‘s Christina Daly.