BOSCOBEL - Some Boscobel Pharmacy customers are confused and upset after receiving a letter stating—wrongly—that their insurance will no longer be honored at the store.

Dean Health Plan, which provides insurance for about 35 percent of the pharmacy’s customers, sent the letters last month. A bold, all-caps headline reads “RE: PHARMACY TERMINATION NOTICE.” The letter identifies Boscobel Pharmacy as “no longer participating in the Dean Health Plan pharmacy network.”

That’s not true, said owner Michelle Farrell. Dean Health sent the letter in error, she said.

According to Farrell, the pharmacy and the insurance company were in the midst of negotiating a service agreement—the contract the governs the relationship between the two entities. The letter went out before those negotiations were settled.

By early October, the representatives of the two organizations had reached an agreement, but by then it was too late: the erroneous letters had been mailed.

“It’s a mess,” said Farrell. “Patients are upset. Clinics are calling that they have patients wanting to find a new pharmacy. And it’s not actually true.”

In a statement via email, Dean Health Plan wrote: “We’re pleased Navitus and AlignRx, which represents many independent pharmacies in Wisconsin, have reached an agreement. Affected members received a letter from Navitus informing them that their pharmacy will remain in-network. We apologize for the confusion and concern. However, we’re happy that Dean Health Plan members can continue to use their local pharmacy for their prescription needs.”