Healthplan Southeast and University of Florida Health System form HMO partnership

Business Wire, Nov 20, 1996

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 20, 1996--Officials at the University of Florida Health System (UFHS), Shands Hospitals and Healthplan Southeast (HPSE) announced a joint agreement aimed at providing high quality, comprehensive health care services to the approximately 100,000 North Central Florida residents insured through Medicaid.

The move creates a health maintenance organization (HMO) partnership that will serve an 18-county region covering Crystal River, Gainsville, Jacksonville, Leesburg, Ocala, Palatka, Williston and surrounding areas.

The new partners have submitted a proposal to provide health care services under a State Medicaid contract to be awarded through the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). The Agency will post notice of intent to award contracts on January 14, 1997.

"We are delighted to have established this partnership with Healthplan Southeast," said Dr. Warren E. Ross, chief executive officer of UFHS. "It is through this new alliance that we can harness the expertise and resources of federal, county, academic and community health centers in an effort to maximize the benefits provided in this region to those patients eligible for care through the State Medicaid plan."

Through this partnership, Medicaid recipients can expect greater access to a broad range of services including physicians, nurse practitioners, home health agencies, wellness programs, pharmacies and mental health services. The proposal forwarded to AHCA also includes case management, education and community support services.

"We believe this collaboration with the University of Florida and Shands will permit Healthplan Southeast to provide cost-effective, quality health care throughout this region and the Florida panhandle," said Robert A. Wychulis, executive director of Discovery Healthplan, Healthplan Southeast's Medicaid HMO. "We look forward to broadening the scope of our current Medicaid HMO services into this area."

Healthplan Southeast is a Tallahassee-based HMO that was organized in 1985 by a group of Tallahassee physicians. HPSE began operations in 1986 as an Independent Practice Association (IPA) model HMO. The organization has grown at a steady pace of 15 to 18 percent per year over the last ten years to its current enrollment of 66,000 members. In November 1994, HPSE's parent corporation, Health Enterprises, merged with Coastal Physician Group, Inc. (NYSE: DR), a publicly-held health care management company based in Durham, N.C.

In November, 1993, HPSE received its certification as a Medicaid Prepaid Health Care Plan from the State of Florida and began to provide Medicaid HMO services, doing business at Discovery Healthplan. As of November 1996, approximately 5,800 of HPSE's total enrollment is in Discovery Healthplan.

Healthplan Southeast is accredited by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), which monitors HMO quality and performance. Dicovery HealthPlan received a score of 98 percent on quality indicators conducted by AHCA, ranking in the top three of all Medicaid plans in Florida.

Among the health care providers participating in the Discovery HealthPlan Medicaid HMO: all Shands hospitals in Gainesville, Lake City, Live Oak and Starke; University of Florida faculty physicians in Gainesville and Jacksonville; and University of Florida Health System affiliated facilities including county, public health units, federally-qualified health centers, University Medical Center in Jacksonville, Monroe Regional Medical Center in Ocala, Leesburg Regional Medical Center, Nature Coast Regional Health network in Williston and Seven Rivers Hospital in Crystal River.

CONTACT: Healthplan Southeast,

Robert A. Wychulis, 904/668-3000, ext. 801

or

University of Florida Health Science Center

Rhona Williams, 352/392-5953