Deadline looms for Ingenix settlement funds

Less than two months remain for physicians to file a claim for the $350 million settlement reached against UnitedHealth Group and its Ingenix subsidiary for its flawed out-of-network reimbursement database.

In 2009, UnitedHealth settled with the American Medical Association and other medical societies in a class-action suit, which accused Ingenix, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth, of understating its calculation of "usual, customary, and reasonable" charges when paying physicians for out-of-network medical services. Physicians have until October 5 to file a claim on the funds available to compensate them for 15 years of low payments for out-of-network services, according to the settlement. For a guide about filing a claim, including forms, go to http://ama-assn.org/.