MedUnite Says It Will Unveil Health Claims Network Later This Summer

Critics say MedUnite has been slow to set up any kind of working network, but MedUnite says the network it is now setting up will handle eligibility and benefits verification, claim submission, inquiries about claim status, referral and authorizations, and patient encounter reports.

MedUnite says the new physician advisory board should help give the network more credibility with doctors.

Members of new advisory board include Dr. Nancy Wilson Ashbach, a member of the board of the American Academy of Family Physicians, Loveland, Colo., Dr. Nancy Dickey, interim dean of the medical school at the Texas A&M University System; and Donald Fisher, president of the American Medical Group Association, Alexandria, Va.

Other members include Dr. Seth Feltheimer, chief medical officer of the Columbia Presbyterian Physician Network, New York; Patrick Hampson, president of MED3000, Pittsburgh; Gloria Austin, chief executive of Brown & Toland Medical Group, San Francisco; Dr. Stephen Caron, Primary Care Associates, San Marcos, Calif.; Dr. William Jessee, president of the Medical Group Management Association, Englewood, Colo.; Dr. Lee Sacks, president of Advocate Health Partners, Oak Brook, Ill.; and Dr. Arnold DoRosario, vice president of PriMed L.L.C., Easton, Conn.

The original MedUnite backers include Aetna Inc., Hartford; Anthem Inc., Indianapolis; CIGNA Corp., Philadelphia; Health Net Inc., Woodland Hills, Calif.; Oxford Health Networks Inc., Trumbull, Conn.; PacifiCare Health Systems Inc., Santa Ana, Calif.; and WellPoint Health Networks Inc., Thousand Oaks, Calif.