Who is Dr Zachary Levy? Doctor goes viral over alleging UnitedHealthcare denied claim of coma patient

Dr. Zachary Levi accused UnitedHealthcare of denying the claims of one of his patients in a coma in a now-deleted post on X. Screenshots of the same have since been going viral as Levy took down the post and deleted his account.

Per the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine's official website, Zachary Levi is an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Emergency Medicine at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. He also serves as the Associate Program Director for the Neurocritical Care Fellowship at North Shore University Hospital.

Per the page, he earned his medical degree from Albany Medical College in 2010, completed his emergency medicine residency training at Christiana Care Hospital, and finished his critical care fellowship at l and North Shore University Hospital in 2015. He is a fellow at the American College of Critical Care Medicine (FCCM) and the American College of Emergency Physicians (FACEP).

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Everything to know about Zachary Levy's claims as he demands to "tear down" UnitedHealthcare

In his post on X, uploaded on December 31, Dr. Zachary Levy revealed the following:

"United Healthcare @UHC just denied a claim on one of my patients in the ICU with a brain hemorrhage, in a coma, on a ventilator, and in heart failure, because I haven't proven to them that caring for her in the hospital was 'medically necessary.' Tear it all down."

In a comment on his post, he also uploaded an email he wrote to UnitedHealthcare, where he explained that the patient's treatment "was medically necessary."

"I am writing on behalf of my patient, XXX, to document the medical necessity of being on a ventilator in the intensive care unit for the treatment of their brain hemorrhage, cerebral edema, and respiratory failure. Their treatment was medically necessary to prevent them from dying during this visit," the letter stated. "Please contact me if any additional information is required to ensure the prompt approval of their I.C.U. care."

Per Newswell, UnitedHealthcare, one of the nation's largest insurance providers, stands accused of mistreating insurance claims via flawed practices, including the use of AI. The incident has since come to the forefront following UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thromson's murder on December 4 by alleged assailant Luigi Mangione.

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Luigi Mangione, who is now facing state and federal charges in connection to the murder is awaiting trial. Conversely, he has since been hailed as a hero for taking the CEO down. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to all the murder and weapons charges.

Reportedly, however, police discovered shell casings at the scene of the crime with the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose,” inscribed in them. All three terms are commonly used in the insurance industry as strategies for dealing with claims and disputes.