Profession
Physicians to receive payments in Blues settlements
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Dec. 29, 2008
Checks totaling more than $13 million were mailed in November 2008 to physicians who settled a pair of class-action lawsuits with Pennsylvania-based Blues plans Highmark Inc. and Capital Blue Cross over alleged unfair payment practices.
The agreements, involving more than 60,000 physicians, followed a nationwide settlement reached in 2007 with more than 30 BlueCross BlueShield subsidiaries. Disbursements in the national settlement will be issued separately, pending a judge's final approval. A complete list of the settling plans is available online (link).
If a plan has failed to adhere to the terms of its settlement, physicians can file a complaint with an appointed facilitator, or with the help of the American Medical Association or one of the 27 state medical societies that signed on to the settlement.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/12/29/prbf1229.htm.












