After a handshake agreement last week, Piedmont Healthcare and Blue Cross Blue Shield have signed a new three-year agreement.

The deal means nearly 600,000 state and university system employees with Blue Cross who visit Piedmont doctors or facilities will no longer be considered out-of-network and any services provided since April 1 will be covered retroactively.

“We were able to reach an agreement on all the substantive items thanks to some really hard work on both sides to negotiate a fair contract to make sure that we’re paid fairly for the quality care that our physicians and hospitals deliver,” says Piedmont Chief Consumer Officer Matt Gove.

He tells WSB’s Sandra Parrish some patients who were affected will be hearing from their doctors.

“Patients who are likely to get calls are ones who had to cancel appointments for hospital services,” says Gove.

He says all others who had to cancel or postpone care should contact their doctor’s offices.

Gove also credits Gov. Nathan Deal for helping bring both sides together.

“His attention to this negotiation helped both sides crystalize the things that were most important and push harder to make sure we reached an agreement quickly,” he says.

The new agreement will extend to 2021.