Eight health insurance companies have agreed to do a better job of updating provider directories in New York state, officials say.
The companies are Empire HealthChoice HMO Inc., Empire HealthChoice Assurance Inc., Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York, HIP Insurance Company of New York, United HealthCare of New York, Inc., Oxford Health Plans of New York, United HealthCare Insurance Company of New York and Vytra Health Plans.
Representatives from the companies participating in the settlement were not immediately available to comment.
New York Attorney General Erich Schneiderman negotiated the settlement with the carriers.
The settlement will require the participating carriers to delete the names of providers that have dropped out of their networks from website provider directories within 30 days after the providers have dropped out.
The settlement also will require the carriers to act quickly to correct any errors in provider directory entries for providers that are still in the carriers' plans.
The carriers must pay refunds to consumers who unintentionally received care from out-of-network providers because the providers were listed as being in-network providers in the carriers' Web-based provider directories.
The carriers will pay a total of $60,000 to the attorney general's office to cover the cost of the investigation.
In December 2010, the New York state attorney general's office negotiated a similar settlement with companies that develop provider networks in New York state and rent the networks out to insurers and self-funded employer health plans.
Consumers should be able to find out whether or not their doctors are in-network, Schneiderman says in a statement.
"Inaccurate directories lead to delays in care and additional costs to the consumer, particularly when that consumer winds up seeing a doctor who is not actually a provider in the plan and pays out of pocket," Schneiderman says.
The Health Care Bureau at the attorney general's office began looking into the matter after getting complaints from consumers and providers through a helpline.
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