UnitedHealth says a hospital error led to Ackman’s criticism of the insurer
(Reuters) -UnitedHealth Group stated on Wednesday a mistake on the hospital was behind the cellphone name that led to a surgeon being pulled from the working room to defend a affected person’s inpatient keep, a transfer that was finally criticized by billionaire Invoice Ackman.
UnitedHealth stated that it had already accepted the remedy and in a single day keep for the surgeon Elisabeth Potter’s affected person earlier than the decision. Its consultant known as the hospital to debate a request for a separate inpatient keep.
“Our consultant requested to talk to the nurse caring for the affected person. He didn’t ask to be transferred to the working room division, didn’t ask to talk with the doctor whereas she was in surgical procedure and by no means requested the physician to go away surgical procedure,” the corporate stated.
The hospital the place the incident passed off was recognized as HCA St. David’s Medical Middle in Austin, Texas, in accordance with Bloomberg Information, which first reported on the matter.
HCA Healthcare didn’t instantly reply to a Reuters request for remark.
Earlier this month, Potter posted on social media platform X, saying she was known as out of an working room to justify her affected person’s care to the insurer.
On February 17, Pershing Sq.’s CEO Ackman stated that UnitedHealth despatched a defamation letter to Potter and added that he supplied to pay her authorized payments.
Ackman had beforehand posted on X that, if he nonetheless shorted shares, he would take a brief place within the healthcare conglomerate.
On February 17, the billionaire investor stated that the now-deleted put up was based mostly on Potter’s expertise. He stated he deleted the put up after the legislation agency Clare Locke contacted his agency to say that Dr. Potter’s claims had been false and that he ought to take down his put up.
“I imagine that Dr. Potter instructed the reality in her preliminary video and in her statements and advocacy,” Ackman stated.
Shares of UnitedHealth closed up 2%. The inventory fell greater than 4% on Tuesday after Ackman’s put up.
(Reporting by Christy Santhosh in Bengaluru; Enhancing by Mohammed Safi Shamsi and Alan Barona)
