Mount Sinai and UnitedHealthcare announced they have reached an agreement on a new contract after months of dispute that disrupted insurance coverage for thousands of patients.
All Mount Sinai facilities will immediately return to the network with United Healthcare and its subsidiary, Oxford Health Plans, the newspaper said. Hospital system website. Coverage of the Mount Sinai doctors will continue uninterrupted, otherwise they would have been taken off the network by Friday.
“We would like to thank our members and customers for their support and patience through this process, and we are honored to continue supporting all the people across New York who rely on us for quality, affordable health care,” United Airlines said in a statement. ” he said. statement online.
After Mount Sinai and United ended their contract late last year, Mount Sinai’s hospitals were immediately taken out of the network for some United customers, and others lost coverage this month. United then announced that it would also remove Mount Sinai doctors from its network, going beyond hospital care.
The uproar over payment fees caused panic and confusion among patients who were trying to figure out if and when they had to change healthcare providers. More than 80,000 people insured through United Healthcare visited Mount Sinai hospitals and doctors in the past year, the insurer said.
“This is a huge win for our patients and for all of you who work hard to provide the best possible experience and care to the people we serve,” Mt. Sinai officials wrote in an internal notice about the contract issued Tuesday.
A Mount Sinai spokesperson shared a statement with Gothamist.
A separate dispute still jeopardizes insurance coverage for tens of thousands of other New Yorkers. Aetna and NewYork-Presbyterian Health System are trying to resolve contract negotiations by the end of this month, but say there are differences in terms. If no agreement is reached, Aetna members could lose coverage at NewYork-Presbyterian’s 10 hospitals, two large physician networks, and an array of specialty clinics in the coming months. Some types of care are scheduled to end as early as April 1.
The dispute between United Airlines and Mount Sinai centered on the hospital system’s proposed rate increases. Insurers rejected them as “outlandish,” but Mount Sinai said they were necessary to cover costs and were in line with rates paid to competitors.
In an internal memo, Mount Sinai officials said, “We are simply asking for fair payment to our doctors and hospitals and less denial of the excellent care you provide every day.” Ta. “The new contract achieves all of these goals and will provide certainty for the next four years,” they wrote.
Statements released by the hospital and insurer Wednesday did not mention the terms of the new contract or the agreed upon fees.
This article has been updated to include information regarding a contract dispute between Aetna and NewYork-Presbyterian.
