Mount Sinai stops taking some new patients on public insurance

In the memo, Mount Sinai attributed the decision to "regular review and reconsideration of our practice panels based on systemwide patient service, operational, and business priorities."

Key points

• "If this is an oversight, we expect prompt clarification, " EmblemHealth spokesperson Alex Gomez remarked in an official note before Mount Sinai's website change.
• An EmblemHealth spokesperson remarked the insurer was unaware of Mount Sinai's decision until POLITICO reached out last week requesting comment.
• "Mount Sinai is committed to ensuring that our patients have access to high-quality care while also maintaining the resources necessary to serve our communities."
• According to Gomez, emblemHealth is in the middle of negotiating a new contract with the health system.
• After POLITICO reached out last week with questions regarding the decision, Mount Sinai updated its website to delete all references to not accepting new patients with those aims.

In an official note Wednesday, Mount Sinai spokesperson Lucia Lee remarked the policy applies only to patients new to the health system, with exceptions for new transplant, obstetrics and pediatric patients.

"Like health systems across New York, we regularly review our participation in health plans and make adjustments based on a range of factors, including the terms of our agreements with insurers and our ability to sustain access to care for our patients, " Lee remarked in an official note today. "Mount Sinai is committed to ensuring that our patients have access to high-quality care while also maintaining the resources necessary to serve our communities."

Notably, an EmblemHealth spokesperson remarked the insurer was unaware of Mount Sinai's decision until POLITICO reached out last week requesting comment.

"If this is an oversight, we expect prompt clarification, " EmblemHealth spokesperson Alex Gomez remarked in an official note before Mount Sinai's website change. "However, if Mount Sinai is intentionally refusing to serve New York's most vulnerable, that is indefensible."

In short, mount Sinai stops taking some new patients on public insurance is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.