“Best bang for buck …” — This story attempts to examine a medical system administrator’s claim that his hospitals offer the highest quality in the region. It also seeks to compare the prices of hospital services in the region. The story grew from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska’s contract dispute with Alegent Creighton Health, which became CHI Health in 2014. The story questioned the administrator’s contention and verified the Blue Cross claim that Alegent Creighton had high prices. “Worries grow …” — The story assesses the impact on patients and doctors if Alegent Creighton Health (soon to be renamed CHI Health) left Blue Cross network. “Blue Cross-CHI split …” — The story examines the affect a Blue Cross-CHI Health split could have on smaller towns that have CHI Health hospitals in them. Using data provided by Blue Cross, it shows how business has shifted away from CHI Health hospitals in rural towns to non-CHI hospitals in those or nearby communities. “Sticker shock may hit …” — The story shows the difference in price between seeing a medical provider within the Blue Cross network and the price a Blue Cross member would pay if he went to a CHI Health provider.”
