By Andis Robeznieks and Paul Demko
(Updated with comment from the American College of Cardiology on Oct. 28, 2013.)
Dr. Mitchell Lipton learned that he might lose up to 25% of his patients when he received letters from UnitedHealthcare and EmblemHealth informing him that he was being terminated from their Medicare Advantage networks as of Jan. 1.
“Over a thousand patients are affected,” said Lipton, a solo practice internist and cardiologist in Brooklyn. “My staff is afraid someone is going to get fired.”