Cigna asked a New Jersey federal court to end a lawsuit filed by a radiology lab that claims the health insurer wrongfully denied payment for COVID-19 services, according to court documents and Law 360.
The lawsuit, filed Aug. 12 by Rochelle Park, N.J.-based Open MRI and Imaging of RP Vestibular Diagnostics, accuses Cigna of wrongfully denying payment for nearly $400,000 in services provided to COVID-19 patients. Open MRI provides diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19, according to the complaint. The lawsuit claims the underpayments were in the last five months and Cigna's denials were "unelaborated."
In a motion filed Feb. 24, Cigna asked that an amended complaint filed by the lab be dismissed. The health insurer argued the complaint failed to provide the necessary information to back up its Employee Retirement Income Security Act claims, according to Law 360.
The lab's ERISA claims specifically lack the identity of the patients whose claims are being questioned, the identity of the plans at issue and, "most critically, identifying the particular provisions of the plans that were allegedly violated," Cigna argued in its motion.