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October 14, 2008

Hospital loses insurance status

MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta is no longer able to offer full coverage to its patients who receive health insurance through the state.

The hospital, which has facilities in Waterville as well, has lost its ranking as a preferred hospital in the state insurance system, meaning that copays for elective procedures are no longer waived, according to the Kennebec Journal. The Maine Health Management Coalition determines the rankings, which are based on a health system's performance in patient safety and quality of clinical care. Beginning Oct. 1, people with state insurance must pay $100-per-day, with a $300 maximum copay per calendar year for hospital admissions, and a $50 copay for outpatient surgery.

MaineGeneral lost points in the areas of heart attack and pneumonia treatment, which Executive Vice President Barbara Crowley attributed to the hospital's switch to electronic medical records in the last quarter of 2007. Crowley told the Kennebec Journal that the hospital has rectified the problem and is appealing the ranking change.

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