Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx is set to cut twelve utilization review nursing jobs across its Moses, Einstein, and Weiler campuses. This decision arrives just months after New York City’s largest nurses strike, where workplace protections remained a central concern. The affected nurses received notification in late May that their positions would be terminated following a 45-day notice period.
These roles involve critical tasks related to insurance claims, including reviewing medical records, determining the necessity of procedures, addressing insurer inquiries, and appealing denied coverage. By reducing the number of nurses handling these responsibilities, there is concern about potential lapses in the approval process for surgeries and treatments that physicians have prescribed, potentially delaying or denying patient care.
Among those impacted is a registered nurse with nearly four decades of experience at Montefiore. The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) links these layoffs to the hospital’s recent automation push involving artificial intelligence (AI) software, specifically citing Datavant as the vendor behind this shift. Montefiore has disputed claims tying the job cuts directly to Datavant, calling those accounts misleading but has not clarified who will assume the responsibilities formerly managed by the affected nurses.
The move has drawn significant union backlash, particularly since the layoffs follow the resolution of this year’s strike. The union argues that the negotiated contract included protections related to AI implementation that should have prevented these reductions. NYSNA has filed a class action grievance and organized a virtual town hall to press Montefiore to reconsider its decision. Union leaders emphasize that AI should complement, not replace, the human care provided by nurses.
Financial pressures may factor into Montefiore’s decision. The hospital system, part of a broader $8.8 billion health network, reported substantial operating losses in 2025 after significant federal emergency funding expired, despite rising revenue from patient services.
Automation in healthcare has mixed implications. While AI can accelerate administrative tasks and potentially free up nurses to focus more on patient care, its deployment also demands considerable energy resources for data processing, which raises environmental impacts. Moreover, cutting experienced staff risks reducing critical oversight in complex insurance evaluations, which could negatively affect patient outcomes.
The debate at Montefiore illustrates a wider challenge for healthcare institutions balancing cost control, technological advancement, and maintaining high-quality patient care. The nurses’ union continues to push for transparent involvement in how AI tools are introduced and used in clinical workflows, advocating for safeguards that protect both workers and patients.