Doctors sue over insurance ratings

Local physicians have sued Cigna Corp. and UnitedHealth Group Inc., claiming the insurance carriers”™ practice of designating “elite” doctors defames others not included on the list.

The Fairfield County Medical Association (FCMA), which represents more than 1,800 doctors, filed the suit in Connecticut Superior Court in Danbury. Connecticut Family Orthopedics P.C., which has offices in Danbury and Ridgefield, also is listed as a plaintiff.

FCMA is asking for an undetermined amount of damages and an injunction barring the carriers from continuing the program.

“This practice ”¦ is breaking up long-standing, doctor-patient relationships and at the same time giving the false impression that certain doctors are better than others, when in fact the ratings are based on the insurers”™ financial interests,” said Mark Thompson, FCMA executive director, in a prepared statement.

Cigna is based in Philadelphia and has its largest facility in Bloomfield, Conn. UnitedHealth Group is based in Minnetonka, Minn., and owns Oxford Health Plans L.L.C.