Staten Island docs sue HIP

Five Staten Island doctors are suing the Health Insurance Plan of New York, claiming that HIP has interfered in their relationships with their patients. Their practice, the Staten Island Medical Group, was dissolved in May after being taken over by PivotHealth, a Brentwood, TN-based physician practice management company. PivotHealth, on contract with HIP, was providing administrative services to Staten Island Medical. The practice was subsequently re-formed as the Staten Island Physicians Group--at which point, the plaintiffs allege, the new group refused to hire them. The suit alleges that HIP failed to pre-approve medical services, failed to provide test results to patients and reassigned patients to other doctors within the network. The suit also claims that HIP plans to expel the doctors from its network at the end of the month. The doctors each have about 3,000 patients in Staten Island and have practiced between 13 and 33 years.

For more background on the dispute: 
- check out this story in Crain's New York Business

PLUS: HIP has used PivotHealth before to whip physician groups into shape. Article