Northeast Georgia Health System and Northeast Georgia Physicians Group have signed multi-year agreements with Cigna on in-network health care, officials announced Tuesday.

Last week, Carol Burrell, Northeast Georgia Medical Center president and CEO, said the hospital would become out of network for Cigna insurance policyholders if an agreement could not be reached by Wednesday.

In a statement, Shannon Glover, Northeast Georgia Health System executive director of managed care operations, praised the agreement.

"We are pleased to be able to continue an in-network relationship with Cigna and its members throughout our regional community," Glover said.

Last week, Burrell said the impasse was because of a disagreement "on a language position that has the potential to restrict patients' full-benefit access to the comprehensive range of services provided by the health system."

Cathy Bowers, spokeswoman for the health system, said Cigna patients make up about 2 percent of the hospital's business and about 6 percent of commercially insured patients. Employees of Hall County school system could have been affected by the impasse as they have a choice between insurance providers Cigna and United Healthcare.