Come October, South Carolinians will have fewer choices when it comes to after hours urgent care.
In an online petition written by CEO Dr. Radwan Hallaba, MEDcare Urgent Care openly disputes Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina's recent decision to remove the provider from its urgent care network.
Dr. Hallaba says the move is in essence excluding patients from MEDcare and they're fighting as advocates for their patients.
Patti Embry-Tautenhan with BCBS of South Carolina declined to go on camera but says the decision was strictly business as the company continuously reviews their provider network. She adds that many people, such as Medicare patients, won't be affected and there are minute clinics and hospital urgent care centers that will still be covered.
However, Sue Berkowitz with South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center says there are reasons why people choose MEDcare, such as the longer hours.
"There's lots of reasons why urgent care is now becoming so popular and sometimes ends up being the medical home for individuals," said Berkowitz. "So this could really impact folks more than the business decision is impacting the company or the provider itself."
The petition asks Blue Cross Blue Shield to rethink their decision and already has nearly 400 signatures. When asked about the petition, Embry-Tautenhan said the company has no comment.
