Glossary
Care network (réseau de soins)
A group of healthcare professionals and facilities that have an agreement with an insurer, often enabling direct billing for care and negotiated rates.
A care network brings together the practitioners, clinics, or hospitals with which an insurer or a supplementary scheme has entered into a partnership agreement. That partnership generally covers two points: negotiated rates, usually lower than those charged outside the network, and direct billing of costs by the insurer, with no cash advance needed from the policyholder.
Internationally, the extent of an insurer’s partner care network varies significantly from one insurer to another and from one country to another: a policy may offer a dense network in some major cities and a very limited one elsewhere. Checking for network facilities near one’s specific place of residence, before signing, is more useful than a general promise of a “worldwide network.”
Example
Going to a clinic that is a member of an insurer's care network, for a planned hospital stay, avoids having to pay upfront — unlike a facility outside the network, where the policyholder pays first and then claims reimbursement.
Also searched as: health network · partner network · partner providers
Related terms