Ahead of a nearing deadline, Hackensack Meridian Health and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey reached an agreement on a new multiyear contract.

As NJBIZ reported, an impasse in the negotiations had led HMH – the state’s largest integrated health network – to consider terminating more than a dozen of its hospitals from the Horizon Hospital Network if the parties could not reach an agreement by June 1.

Instead, the Monday announcement means that patients with Horizon insurance plans will continue to have uninterrupted, in-network access to HMH’s doctors, hospitals and facilities throughout New Jersey.

“As New Jersey’s largest health network, Hackensack Meridian Health is committed each day to ensuring that our patients have access to high-quality, innovative patient care,” said HMH Chief Executive Officer Robert Garrett. “We are thrilled to have reached a resolution with Horizon ensuring that our world-class team members can continue to provide excellent care to the patients and communities we serve.”

“All of us in health care have an obligation to make health care more affordable and accessible,” said Gary St. Hilaire, Horizon’s chairman and CEO. “This agreement reflects our shared belief that health care works best when providers and insurers work together to put the people we serve at the center of everything we do.”

A March 31 press release issued by the organizations did not disclose terms of the agreement.