As health systems and insurers across the country clash over payment rates and contract terms, personal relationships among executives on both sides can be the deciding factor in how those negotiations play out. In recent months, major network breaks have dominated headlines. UnitedHealthcare’s Mid-Atlantic CEO Joseph Ochipinti recently accused Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Medicine of taking a “cynical” approach to contract negotiations. Johns Hopkins, which has been out of network with UnitedHealthcare since late August, said it “has no desire to turn any employer or patient away,” but urged the insurer to enforce contract terms with its employer clients.

In Maine, Brewer-based Northern Light Health announced in August it would terminate its contract with Anthem. In a public letter from

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