Gilmore Parent Co. Offers Delay In Lawsuit

AMORY, Ms (WCBI)  An eleventh hour effort to end a dispute between the parent company of Gilmore Regional Medical Center and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi.

With Blue Cross Blue Shield coverage scheduled to end Sunday at Gilmore and 9 other Health Management Associates hospitals in the state, the hospital owners are seeking a delay.

H-M-A says it will put on hold a lawsuit which claims Blue Cross Blue Shield underpaid the hospitals close to 17 million dollars under the current contract.

In exchange for the delay in the legal proceedings H-M-A wants Blue Cross to continue coverage for at least 60 days so the two sides can work on ending the stalemate over payments without having policy holders and patients caught in the middle.