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Insurer Physician Rankings Threatened by New York Attorney General by Robert M. Wolin
Susan Feigin Harris
Baker & Hostetler LLP
Houston Office
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June 16, 2008
Previously published on August 1, 2007
New York Attorney General Cuomo has threatened to obtain an injunction to prohibit the introduction of UnitedHealthcare's "Premium designation" program, which identifies physicians who follow certain quality of care and efficiency criteria. Doctors that meet the criteria for quality of care are assigned one star; if they also qualify for efficiency of care, they are assigned two stars. Cuomo stated that the star rankings would have "a strong likelihood of causing consumer confusion, if not deception," and was further concerned that (a) the criteria used might be faulty, (b) consumers would be encouraged to use cheap doctors rather than good doctors, and (c) UnitedHealthcare's profit motive "may" affect the accuracy of its quality rankings. Cuomo felt that the profit motive was a conflict of interest, because high quality physicians cost more.
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The views expressed in this article are solely the views of the author and not Martindale-Hubbell. This article is intended for informational purposes only and is not legal advice or a substitute for consultation with a licensed legal professional in a particular case or circumstance. |
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