Humana and Florida Hospital Ink New Deal

LYNNE JETER

Humana and Florida Hospital Ink New Deal

Medicare Advantage Members to Receive Care at Seven Area Hospitals


Florida Hospital and Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) announced Oct. 14 the two companies had reached an agreement on a new contract that enables Humana's Medicare Advantage members in Central Florida to receive care at Florida Hospital's seven area hospitals in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties.

Under the new agreement, which is in addition to the existing contract for all Humana commercial products, members of Humana's Gold Plus and Humana Choice PPO plans will have access to Florida Hospital Altamonte, Florida Hospital Apopka, Florida Hospital Celebration, Florida Hospital East Orlando, Florida Hospital Kissimmee, Florida Hospital Orlando and Florida Hospital Winter Park.

"We're excited to add the Florida Hospital system in Central Florida to our expanding network of hospitals and healthcare providers in the area," said Dr. Scott Latimer, Humana Central and North Florida Market President of Senior Products. "This new contract represents significant progress in our efforts to provide our Medicare members in the Orlando area with greater access to quality healthcare choices, while offering Humana significant growth opportunities at the same time."

John Brownlow, senior vice president of managed care at Florida Hospital, said Florida Hospital is known for pacesetting healthcare delivered in a faith-based environment. "We're pleased to offer Humana Medicare members access to our seven hospitals in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties," he said. "This contract provides additional high-quality alternatives for physicians and patients alike."

Based in Louisville, Ky., Humana Inc. is Florida's largest Medicare health benefits company, with nearly 500,000 members statewide, including nearly 20,000 Medicare members in Central Florida.

Established in 1908, Florida Hospital is one of the nation's largest not-for-profit hospitals. The American Hospital Association ranks the hospital system as the leader in the country for the number of inpatient admissions. Owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Florida Hospital routinely cares for nearly 1 million patients annually.

For the past decade, U.S. News & World Report has recognized the 2,000-plus bed system — comprised of seven campuses, 30 outpatient facilities, and 18 Centra Care urgent care locations — as one of the nation's leading hospitals.

"This agreement gives our Medicare Advantage members — and seniors in Central Florida — access to one of the region's premier healthcare providers and affords Humana an opportunity to grow our Medicare membership in this key Florida market," said Latimer.

Brownlow added: "Florida Hospital has been in the Orlando area for 100 years, providing advanced healthcare in a healing environment to our patients. We're excited to now be able to provide that healthcare to patients with Humana Medicare Advantage."