POCATELLO — Patients with Blue Cross of Idaho insurance visiting the emergency room at Portneuf Medical Center will no longer pay additional out-of-market expenses for physician care now that a contract dispute has ended, PMC announced on Tuesday.

And the best news of all is that the agreement is retroactive to April 14 when the contract dispute started between Blue Cross of Idaho and the group of emergency room physicians at PMC who recently formed their own practice called Rocky Mountain Physicians Group, or RMPG.

The retroactive coverage clause means anyone with Blue Cross of Idaho insurance who was charged for the physician portion of their emergency room visits since that date is entitled to reimbursement, according to Dan Dallon, an emergency room doctor at PMC and president of RMPG.

“At Rocky Mountain Physician Group, our top priority is serving patients and providing access to the highest quality professional care in southeastern Idaho—by physicians invested in and aligned with the community,” Dallon said in a written statement released on Wednesday. “As our first agreement with Blue Cross of Idaho, this value-based arrangement provides a unique opportunity to continue improving the quality of care that we deliver to the patients of Portneuf Medical Center. Rocky Mountain welcomes patient contact and our team is ready and available to address any questions that members may have.”

For months, RMPG, had been involved in a contract negotiation process with two major Idaho insurance companies — Blue Cross of Idaho and Regence BlueShield of Idaho.

The contract dispute left many ER patients with larger than normal medical bills related directly to the physician portion of the visit. All other aspects provided by PMC including labs, imaging, and inpatient services were and still are in network with Blue Cross of Idaho.

Though the contract negotiation process with Blue Cross of Idaho has been resolved, RMPG is still actively negotiating its contract with Regence BlueShield of Idaho, Dallon told the Journal on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, a joint statement was released by RMPG and Blue Cross of Idaho announcing the end of the contract dispute.

“We are pleased to announce a new in-network contract with Rocky Mountain Physicians Group, allowing Blue Cross of Idaho members to receive an in-network rate for emergency physician services at Portneuf Medical Center,” said Dave Jeppesen, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer for Blue Cross of Idaho. “Our agreement includes a new value-based care arrangement to improve healthcare quality at the lowest cost, consistent with our commitment to affordability for our members. Our customer service team is available for any of our members who received emergency room services at Portneuf Medical Center and may have any questions about a bill.”

Specific details about the contract with RMPG and Blue Cross of Idaho were not available on Tuesday.

Bill Carns, the chief operating officer of the Arizona-based PracticeMax — the administrative agent for RMPG was not available for comment on Tuesday.

The Chief Executive Officer for PMC, Dan Ordyna said in a statement released by PMC on Tuesday that the hospital continued to focus on patient care throughout the contract negotiation process.

“As a Level II Trauma Center, we depend on high-level emergency care from physicians who have been dedicated to our community for decades,” Ordyna said. “That service and expertise now continues uninterrupted. We are grateful for the diligence from RMPG and Blue Cross of Idaho to come to an equitable agreement.”