Dive Brief:

UnitedHealthcare released a scathing statement against John Hopkins Medicine and Capital Women’s Care earlier this week, accusing the providers of hindering contract negotiations by putting business needs above patients’ best interests.

The statement is an escalation of a growing conflict between the two parties . Both providers went out of network with the insurance giant in August, and Johns Hopkins officially called off contract discussions with UnitedHealthcare in late September — a move that left approximately 60,000 enrollees unable to access care at the health system’s locations throughout Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

UnitedHealthcare says the stalemate in negotiations lies at the feet of the providers, claiming Johns Hopkins wants a contract that

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