Nurse sues Highmark, accuses insurer of failing to pay OT

Highmark is facing a lawsuit filed by a former care management nurse who alleges the health insurer didn't pay required overtime for such tasks as reviewing authorization requests, according to Trib Live.

The lawsuit, filed April 6 by Lynn Cole, BSN, in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, seeks class-action status for an unspecified number of nurses. Ms. Cole, who worked for Highmark from 2017 to 2019 as a salaried employee, accuses the company of violating the Fair Labor Standards Act by not adequately paying nurses for time spent reviewing health insurance authorization requests beyond 40 hours per week.

The class-action includes utilization management nurses, utilization review nurses, medical management nurses, nurse reviewers or care management nurses who worked at Highmark in the last three years, according to the lawsuit.

In an emailed statement to Becker's, a Highmark spokesperson said the company is not commenting on pending litigation. 

Read more here.

More articles on payers:
UnitedHealthcare gets new CEO
31 payer exec moves
BCBS of Minnesota's operating margin less than 1% in 2020

Copyright © 2024 Becker's Healthcare. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Cookie Policy. Linking and Reprinting Policy.