Blog Post

Post by Kevin Herrington, MBA FACHE, Altus Emergency Centers

A study from the Doctor Patient Rights Project (DPRP) has revealed a disturbing trend amongst large insurance companies. In the study, the DPRP singled out Anthem Blue Cross – Blue Shield, which through its affiliated networks is the nation’s largest private health insurer. The findings in the study claim that Anthem has been retroactively denying insurance claims for emergency room visits from its policyholders, particularly those who are from low income and/or rural areas.

The DPRP concluded that the purpose of Anthem’s policy is to make its policyholders too afraid to go to the ER out of fear that they will not be covered and must pay the entire bill out of pocket, which most patients are simply unable to do.

This conclusion is widely shared by the physicians and administrative staff of emergency rooms across the country as evidenced by the comment of Dr. Ryan Stanton a critical care and emergency medicine specialist in Lexington, Kentucky: “The purpose of this program is to spread fear.”

Kevin Herrington began as an Administrator for Altus in early 2007, and has successfully managed several facilities since construction. With 20 years of experience in healthcare, Kevin currently oversees operations, as well as the development and direction of all future projects. Kevin currently holds the status of Fellow with the American College of Healthcare Executives, and is a member of the American Society of Clinical Pathologists.