Radiology Alliance, an affiliated practice of industry giant Rad Partners, has reached an in-network agreement with BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, the organizations announced on Tuesday.
Under terms of the deal, BCBST health plan members—of which there are more than 3.4 million in the Volunteer State and across the country—will regain access to RP services. The pact covers plans including Blue Networks P, S, L and E, as well as Medicare Advantage.
“We are pleased to have [Radiology Alliance] rejoin our networks, and we appreciate their partnership in serving our members across the state,” Scott Pierce, executive VP and chief operating officer of BlueCross, said in an Oct. 3 announcement from RP.
Radiology Alliance was created in 2001 through the merger of Associated Radiologists, Radiology Associates of Nashville, and Radiology Consultants. Mednax acquired Radiology Alliance in 2017, and it became part of Rad Partners in 2020 when the El Segundo, California, organization purchased Mednax’s radiology division for $885 million in 2020.
Rad Alliance is one of the largest imaging groups in Tennessee, employing 60-plus physicians, working across 41 imaging centers and handling over 1 million cases per year. This includes providing radiology services to nine-hospital TriStar Health System in middle Tennessee and southern Kentucky.
“Radiology Alliance appreciates the BCBST leadership team for recognizing the importance of providing in-network access to high-quality radiological care for its members,” Josh Heck, MD, practice president for Radiology Alliance, said in the announcement. “We look forward to continuing our 20-year collaborative relationship for years to come.”
Rad Partners affiliate Sonoran Radiology inked a similar agreement with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Arizona earlier this year. The agreements come as radiology practices fight to remain in-network with health plans of choice in their service areas. Since the roll out of the No Surprises Act, commercial insurers have started terminating in-network contracts that involve higher-than-average reimbursement rates, according to S&P Global Ratings. About 5% of Radiology Partners’ business is out-of-network, but there is “some risk that percentage could increase” given such trends, analysts speculated in March.
Backed by private equity, Rad Partners is the largest radiology practice in the U.S., employing 3,600-plus physicians, working at 138 centers across 35 states and handling 52 million cases per year.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.