Quick Summary
Lawsuit Alleges Pattern of Underpayment and Delay
In a lawsuit filed on December 8, 2025, in the U.S. District Court of Connecticut, a group of 33 NorthStar anesthesia providers alleged that Aetna and Cigna failed to comply with binding IDR decisions under the No Surprises Act. The complaint asserts that the two insurers owe more than $4.1 million in total — approximately $2.3 million from Cigna and $1.7 million from Aetna — for services already adjudicated through the federal arbitration process.
According to the law, once an IDR entity renders a decision, payment must be made within 30 calendar days. NorthStar alleges that not only did Aetna and Cigna fail to meet this deadline, but they also did not pay interest as required for late reimbursement. The result, NorthStar says, is a growing financial strain on its practices and reduced resources for patient care.
“These general business practices deprive NorthStar of the money NorthStar has earned, force NorthStar to expend resources trying to collect the money, and ultimately prevent NorthStar from investing resources in patient care,” the complaint reads.
Payers Push Back Amid Growing IDR Volume
In response, both insurers have pushed back on the narrative. A spokesperson for Aetna claimed that “Congress designed the No Surprises Act to protect American patients from exorbitant, unfair billing practices, not to pad private equity-backed provider profits on the backs of patients.” They further asserted that some provider groups are “abusing the arbitration process” for financial gain.
Their position aligns with recent public policy concerns. A 2024 report from the Elevance Health Public Policy Institute found that providers prevail in a majority of IDR cases, prompting fears among payers that the arbitration system is being used to inflate reimbursement rates — particularly for out-of-network claims.
A System Under Pressure
The NorthStar lawsuit underscores a major concern voiced by many providers: even after securing a favorable IDR ruling, collecting payment is not guaranteed. With no centralized enforcement mechanism beyond filing CMS complaints, providers often have limited options when insurers fail to comply.
This lawsuit adds to a growing body of litigation suggesting the federal IDR system is breaking down under the weight of payer resistance, high volumes, and inconsistent follow-through. Unless action is taken to enforce payment obligations, the promise of the No Surprises Act may continue to fall short.
Why This Matters to Providers
Delayed or unpaid IDR awards not only threaten revenue cycles but also undermine confidence in federal arbitration. Providers must:
This case is likely to resonate across the healthcare industry, especially among out-of-network providers relying on IDR to ensure fair compensation.
How Patriot Group Can Help
Patriot Group represents healthcare providers navigating complex IDR disputes, reimbursement delays, and audit defense challenges. If your organization is facing insurer noncompliance or IDR underpayment, our legal team can help you secure the payments you’re owed and hold payers accountable.
Contact Thomas J. Force, Esq., President and Founder of Patriot Group, at [email protected] or call (631) 870-4040.
Thomas J. Force, Jr.Vice President of Patient Accounts
A graduate of Arizona State University, having received his Bachelor of Arts in Civil Economic Thought and Leadership, Thomas quickly integrated into The Patriot Group shortly after graduating and has brought a fresh perspective to company strategies and protocols, particularly with regard to patient collections.
Currently, as the Vice President of Patient Accounts, Thomas heads up the company’s Patient Accounts Department and is responsible for overseeing staff and ensuring that patients have a clear understanding of their financial obligations, are treated with respect, and ultimately make payments to further boost our clients’ revenue.
Jennifer ManiaciVice President of Coding
Jennifer is a professional coder certified by the AAPC with over 25 years of experience in medical office settings. She is responsible for overseeing any and all coding issues and is tasked with managing the most complex accounts – namely those concerning highly-specialized out-of-network surgeons who often rely upon unlisted codes in order to bill for their services. In this regard, Jennifer regularly secures GAP exceptions for our clients’ patients (i.e., allowing for in-network benefits for out-of-network services) and negotiates lucrative single case agreements to ensure our clients are afforded substantial compensation for their highly-skilled services.
As part of her responsibilities, Jennifer takes great pride in advocating for patients against payors so that our clients’ patients can rest assured that they will receive the maximum benefits from their plan.
Meredith MonteleoneVice President of Operations
Meredith has worked in the healthcare industry for the past 25 years, having managed all areas of the revenue cycle. Her expertise runs the full gamut of revenue cycle matters, including serving in- and out-of-network parties, professional and facility clients, and clients involved in an abundance of practice areas (e.g., vascular, orthopedic, ENT, general practice/primary care, chiropractic, and surgical).
With her extensive experience, which also includes teaching classes at Hunter Business School since 2004, Meredith is responsible for managing accounts, supervising staff, delegating assignments, and analyzing accounts to ensure our clients revenue is maximized.
Susan O’Connor-Van WinckelVice President of Administration
With more than a decade of experience, Susan is integral to the success of The Patriot Group and its clients. A professional coder certified by the AAPC, and having past entrepreneurial experience, Susan certainly understands the importance of maintaining an efficient and profitable revenue cycle.
With this mindset, Susan serves as the ultimate team player. Aside from being primarily responsible for account implementation and general account management, based on Susan’s expertise, she regularly steps up to address the most complex revenue cycle issues, namely those faced by new clients whose past billing company left their account in shambles.
Farooq WaheedChief Technology Officer
A dedicated entrepreneur, Farooq has actively founded, and participated in the start-up of, several successful health-related organizations, including Patriot International Group, the entity that handles aged receivable collection for The Patriot Group.
Prior to engaging in his entrepreneurial endeavors, Farooq served as a senior software developer with Applied Sciences Group. In this capacity, Farooq designed, developed, and maintained highly scalable software and web applications. With this experience, Farooq, along with his brother Rauf Waheed, has been integral in developing software to promote a more efficient aged receivable collection process that separates The Patriot Group from its competitors. As a result, our clients benefit from the maximum collection on their aged receivables.
Rauf WaheedChief Technology Officer
Much like his brother, Rauf is a serial entrepreneur with substantial experience founding, launching, and scaling businesses primarily rooted in the healthcare sector. Relying on his nearly 15 years of experience serving in high-level strategy and planning roles with Fortune 500 companies such as IBM and CenturyLink, Rauf brings an analytical expertise to The Patriot Group that far exceeds that of its competitors.
This skillset, coupled with his background in software engineering, enabled Rauf and his brother, Farooq, to develop and integrate software designed to promote increased and more efficient aged receivables collection. In applying this software to its aged receivable collections, The Patriot Group has been able to increase its clients’ revenues, while speeding up their revenue cycles.
Robert T. Neuner, Esq.General Counsel
An attorney licensed in New York, New Jersey, and Arizona, Robert has spent the vast majority of his professional career in the healthcare sector since graduating from Brooklyn Law School.
Prior to joining The Patriot Group at the start of 2021, Robert simultaneously served as General Counsel, Director of Mergers & Acquisitions, and as the interim Chief Financial Officer for a medical management services firm that subsequently developed into a sizeable primary care practice in Arizona. During this five-plus year tenure, Robert served as the right hand of that company’s owner and Chief Executive Officer. In this regard, Robert played an integral role in that organization’s exponential growth (its revenues multiplying ten-fold), while ensuring that the operations ran efficiently and compliantly.
Robert relies on this past experience, as well as his previous litigation experience, in order to promote the compliance of our clients. As part of his responsibilities, Robert defends against audits and recoupments/refund demands, provides guidance on carrier policies and applicable laws/regulations, appeals unpaid or underpaid claims, and represents clients in surprise billing disputes.
Michele ForceFounder & Chief Executive Officer
Michele Force has over 30 years of experience as a Senior Executive in Operations, Sales, and Customer Service for a West-Coast technology company with a focus on the insurance industry. She has worked with some of the largest insurance organizations in the country, developing extensive experience in technology infrastructure and techniques to increase client profitability. Mrs. Force has developed significant high-level contacts at various insurance companies and other insurance-related organizations.
As Chief Operating Officer, Mrs. Force manages day-to-day activities and client interface while spearheading technology initiatives within The Patriot Group. She is a polished and experienced senior executive, and her team strives to deeply understand clients' goals, problems, and needs. The better they understand the dynamics of their clients' practice, the better they can help them maximize revenue. Their goal is their clients' long-term success, and they aim to be a trusted, loyal partner who ensures they get the most dedicated and passionate team working for them.
Mrs. Force's focus on customer service and her expertise in the insurance industry have helped The Patriot Group build lasting relationships with their clients. Her dedication to maximizing revenue for clients has made her a valuable asset to the company.
Thomas J. Force, Esq.Founder & President
Thomas J. Force is an attorney with significant experience in the healthcare and insurance industries. Mr. Force's background as a former U.S. Marine, Wall Street insurance litigator, General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, and CEO of a revenue cycle company showcases a diverse and extensive career.
His expertise in healthcare revenue collection techniques, appeal strategies, and healthcare compliance makes him a valuable resource in the field. Additionally, his role on the Advisory Board at Hunter Business School, involvement with medical billing and coding students, and frequent speaking engagements at medical associations and healthcare organizations highlight his commitment to education and sharing knowledge in the industry.
Mr. Force focuses on a range of topics, including Effective Out-of-Network Work Flow, Successful Appeals Drafting, The Dangers of Waiving Patient Cost Share Responsibility, The No Surprise Act, and The Federal Anti-Kickback, Stark, False Claim Act, and HIPAA. In Short, Mr. Force has a comprehensive understanding of legal and compliance issues within the healthcare sector. His focus is protecting and defending the healthcare provider, and assisting with the generation of revenue for medical practices.