UF Physicians includes more than 80 physician practices located throughout north central and northeast Florida staffed by UF faculty physicians. The Shands HealthCare system is comprised of two academic health centers, Shands at the University of Florida (Gainesville) and Shands Jacksonville (Jacksonville); a behavioral-health hospital, Shands Vista; a rehabilitation hospital, Shands Rehab hospital; and three community hospitals operated through a joint venture. Each year, the UF and Shands academic health system is a health resource for Florida, serving patients from every county in the state.
UF Physicians and Shands HealthCare are the latest healthcare providers in Florida to join Averde Health in their revolutionary approach to the next generation of Consumer Directed Health Plans (CDHPs). Jacksonville joins South Florida and Tampa Bay as recent markets where Averde has signed contracts with major hospitals and expanded their Guaranteed Payment Network for individuals and groups.
Averde’s Guaranteed Payment Network works exclusively with CDHP’s for individuals, small groups, and self-insured employers, which is a growing market segment - particularly in the Southeast1. These plans can cut premiums by a significant amount but can bring hardship to consumers, doctors and hospitals when it’s time to pay for and collect medical expenses.
Averde Health improves providers’ cash flow by paying both the plan and the patient liability fully and quickly, thus eliminating any collections costs. “When physicians bear the increasing cost of patient collections, they are discounting their services for large carriers even further than they intend. With Averde, our contracts equal cash. What we negotiate is what we pay.” declares Averde’s CEO Tom Policelli. Here’s how Averde’s plan works: When a clean claim is submitted within 60 days of service, Averde will pay one hundred percent of the contracted amount (net of office visit copays) within 30 days. An added benefit is a reduction in lost office visits from patients who may be embarrassed by unpaid medical bills. After paying the provider, Averde collects from members directly and can offer flexible repayment terms including manageable payment plans through payroll deductions.
Averde founder and CEO, Tom Policelli, explains, “Our objective is to completely change the way health care is paid for and to make it easy for consumers to access, understand and pay for their medical care.” On the rapid statewide expansion Policelli remarked, “Recent trends make Florida a key market for us. Employers and consumers will benefit from increased competition in the state and our product provides great value to both.”
About Averde Health
Averde Health was founded by visionary health insurance executives who recognized the need for a better health care model that puts them in partnership with doctors and hospitals while allowing patients a simple way to manage their health care expenses. By solving problems for health care providers, Averde drives administrative costs out of the system, and helps hold down costs.
About University of Florida Physicians
University of Florida Physicians includes two multispecialty group practices based in Gainesville and Jacksonville. UF faculty physicians provide care in more than 80 UF outpatient practices, from primary care and family medicine to complex, subspecialized care. UF faculty physicians also treat patients at Shands hospitals, offer second opinions, conduct breakthrough medical research, educate tomorrow’s doctors and consult with medical colleagues from all over the country on complex cases.
About Shands HealthCare
Shands HealthCare is a private, not-for-profit academic healthcare system affiliated with the University of Florida. Approximately 1,500 UF faculty and community physicians on our medical staff provide care in about 100 specialty and subspecialty medical areas, from primary care to highly complex care, including cancer, cardiovascular, neurology, neurosurgery, pediatrics and transplantation services. Patients come to us from every county in the state, from throughout the nation and from more than a dozen countries.
Shands Cancer Hospital at UF (Gainesville) opened in November 2009. The 500,000-square-foot facility includes 192 private rooms for a variety of inpatients, including those receiving diagnostic and therapeutic oncology services. Shands Jacksonville and the UF Proton Therapy Institute offer patients the world’s most advanced forms of external beam radiation in one setting using the latest conventional radiation equipment and proton therapy. The UF Proton Therapy Institute is currently the only facility of its kind operating in the Southeast.
Contact:
Roberta D. Wachtelhausen
Sr. Vice President, Averde Health
Sales and Marketing
Averde Health, Inc.
860-270-0243
bert@averdehealth.com
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