UnitedHealthcare Sends Erroneous Letters Claiming Providers Had Died

UnitedHealthcare confirmed to Becker's on Oct. 8 that it mistakenly sent letters to members nationwide stating that eight in-network providers had died. Letters about two Minnesota physicians were dated Sept. 11, and corrected letters followed two weeks later confirming both doctors remain in network. UnitedHealthcare called it an internal error, said it is contacting affected members and provider offices, and has updated its processes to prevent recurrence. The incident surfaces amid heightened scrutiny of insurer provider directory accuracy, including lawsuits against other payers over "ghost networks" of out-of-network or inaccessible listed providers.

Managed Care