Key facts
- Mount Sinai has stopped accepting new patients with certain public insurance plans.
- The health system cited "systemwide patient service, operational, and business priorities" for the decision.
- Mount Sinai updated its website to remove references to the policy after inquiries.
- Exceptions are made for new transplant, obstetrics, and pediatric patients.
- EmblemHealth, an insurer negotiating a contract with Mount Sinai, was unaware of the decision and criticized it.
Mount Sinai has stopped accepting new patients with certain public insurance plans, attributing the decision to "regular review and reconsideration of our practice panels based on systemwide patient service, operational, and business priorities." After POLITICO inquired about the policy, Mount Sinai updated its website to remove all references to not accepting new patients with those plans.
A spokesperson for Mount Sinai, Lucia Lee, stated that the policy applies only to patients new to the health system, with exceptions for new transplant, obstetrics, and pediatric patients. Lee added, "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." She also affirmed Mount Sinai's commitment to high-quality care while maintaining necessary resources.