[kitkat1]

Hello! Any recommendations for a Primary Care Physician at The Villages? We were told to find one preferably before we move there! Thanks for any help.

[villagetinker]

First, checkout all of the discussions about the villages REQUIREMENT to use their ADVANTAGE plan. Once you have determined if you will be in the villages health system or not then you can look for the appropriate primary care doctor. There are several threads on this subject, key words, HEALTH, PCP, ADVANTAGE, and SHINE will give you a good start for searching. Please review your insurance options carefully. It appears that several thousand village health participants are leaving because of this recent change.
I am just trying to save you some trouble. Also, with villages health, you will experience a delay in your first visit (the welcome visit) and then and additional delay in getting to your PCP, not sure if you can setup any of this before you get here.
Hope this helps.

[JoMar]

I agree with villagetinker, first determine if you want to join the Villages Health Systen. If you do then you can go through them to find a Doc that works for you. Also, if you use their Advantage plan the wait to see the doc is not delayed. In the past, if you stayed with your plan and VHC accepted your plan you would experience the delay. I switched to VHC whey I arrived and had an appointment within a week. My wife brought her own plan and originally was delayed, until I joined then her delay was eliminated. If you decide to not go with VHC there are plenty of doctors outside TV and as Villagetinker stated, do the search and you will get all the information and confusion you will need.....lol.

[Avista]

We feel we are so fortunate to have The Villages Health Care. I would check out their web site. The Villages Health | America's Healthiest Hometown
Depending where you will be living, select a center or possibly 2 that are near you. You can click on each physician to hear them say a few words. The docs are limited with the number of patients they serve, so may have to check and see who has some spots open. Pm me if any questions.

[villagetinker]

Just got a letter today from villages health, and it indicates that a large percentage of several thousand patients may be leaving, so this will have a significant impact on the villages health system. I am sure that they will have to let PCP doctors go, there will be lots of chaos and confusion.
OP, Please look over the insurance requirements, and carefully consider if you are looking at the Advantage plan, as you may not be able to go back to Medicare and a supplemental plan without a lot of grief or additional monthly payments. As I stated previously, you need to look at this very carefully, there are restrictions if you want to go back to Medicare. If you are confused, contact SHINE, as they will give you an unbiased review of what your options are.

VHS advantage plans works out for many people, especially if you are in good health, are a permanent resident, and can live with the limitations when you travel, if this does not fit your situation, it is probably not for you.
Hope this helps.
Send me a PM if you want to discuss further.

[rivaridger1]

Though much ballyhooed I found after two years neither the Village Health Care model or the physicians associated with it to be anything exceptional. The basic premise behind its existence is to keep you healthy. That is fine. They will talk to you spending more time then allocated in the traditional Primary Care Physician encounter. They will draw your blood twice each year and send it to an independent lab for testing. Most PCPs just write a lab order. More then a few of the physicians they employ are new to the area and do not know the specialists who have been practicing in it for years rendering referrals an iffy proposition. Yes, they employ some specialists, but they are few in number and hardly cover the entire basis of medical specialization. The model referred to earlier is to provide medical care to young, healthy active seniors. I honestly suggest you call the local hospitals and see if they have a referral recommendation protocol in place and might suggest some alternative PCPs, as well as the Villages Health Care. That is how I found two great specialists actually prior to finding a PCP. The big ones locally are The Villages Hospital and Leesburg Hospital. There are some other hospitals off campus as well, but not that far away.

And before someone else brings it up Villages Health Care no longer accepts my insurance since it is basic Medicare with a Supplement curiously enough provided by the same insurer that VHC now only accepts as a Medicare Advantage Plan provider. I did find another PCP outside the VHC system and am very confident with both his expertise and knowledge of the specialist community which services the area. Do your homework and keep in mind you will be subjected to a lot of propaganda associated with the VHC system emanating from the developer and in the local newspaper. Good alternatives do exist, you just have to do the research.

[Villageswimmer]

Originally Posted by villagetinker

Just got a letter today from villages health, and it indicates that a large percentage of several thousand patients may be leaving, so this will have a significant impact on the villages health system. I am sure that they will have to let PCP doctors go, there will be lots of chaos and confusion.
OP, Please look over the insurance requirements, and carefully consider if you are looking at the Advantage plan, as you may not be able to go back to Medicare and a supplemental plan without a lot of grief or additional monthly payments. As I stated previously, you need to look at this very carefully, there are restrictions if you want to go back to Medicare. If you are confused, contact SHINE, as they will give you an unbiased review of what your options are.

VHS advantage plans works out for many people, especially if you are in good health, are a permanent resident, and can live with the limitations when you travel, if this does not fit your situation, it is probably not for you.
Hope this helps.
Send me a PM if you want to discuss further.

Could you possibly elaborate on the letter you received today? We're still up North and never received the original letter so I don't expect we'll get this one.

[JoMar]

I also heard there were a few thousand that were leaving....I dn't know how big a deal that is in the scheme of things. There are about 40 docs and if each has 1000 patients (they are capped at 1250) that's 40,000 patients. In addition, there are a bunch of new houses being built which will bring new customers. Will this initial change make a difference in care, I doubt it. Will they recover, I think so. We make decisioons on what works for us or we fear change and want to stay in our comfort zone. Do your homework....talk to Shine, or health health care professionals you trust, but those of us that live here have our agendas and tend to try and sway others to our agendas.

[Archer_ID]

It is very simple. Come January 1, VHS will no longer accept Medicare plus supplements eve from United Health. You need to get The advantage plan from United Health. I have participated in advantage plans with all their associated costs and found supplemental insurance to be far easier and cheaper. So, apparently, have thousands of others.

[NYGUY]

Originally Posted by kitkat1

Hello! Any recommendations for a Primary Care Physician at The Villages? We were told to find one preferably before we move there! Thanks for any help.

Slow down and head the advice provided by others to do your research. I am not sure who provided this advice or if they meant Physician's at The Villages Health, but it it is not at all necessary to make a decision before you move. There are lots of Primary Care Physicians in and around The Villages.

[goodtimesintv]

Originally Posted by kitkat1

Hello! Any recommendations for a Primary Care Physician at The Villages? We were told to find one preferably before we move there! Thanks for any help.

Don't be needlessly scared (by Post #2) into assuming The Villages requires anybody to be in the primary-care (only) practice d.b.a. The Villages Health. (TVHealth will now only be accepting Medicare Advantage plans by United Healthcare and The Villages brands, plus private insurances for people who are not Medicare age or enrolled. More info on that practice and insurances accepted here: Accepted Insurance by The Villages Health ).

A physician not in TVHealth that is consistently recommended is Felix Agbo. You'll see other good ones in the threads found here in this search results list:

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...rchid=12705132

[villagetinker]

Originally Posted by Villageswimmer

Could you possibly elaborate on the letter you received today? We're still up North and never received the original letter so I don't expect we'll get this one.

You are probably correct, these were bulk mailed and I do not think they are forwarded. The letter was essentially a follow-up, from the first letter. I do not have the exact text as I threw it away, and they just picked up the trash.

Maybe someone else can provide the text.

[2BNTV]

If you decide t get a UHC MA plan, I recommend Dr. Saul Rosenblum.

If you have another plan that is not accepted by TVH:
1. Dr. Florian Gegaj
2. Dr. Felix Agbo, (I have difficulty with my hearing, as he has an accent).

[villagetinker]

All, If you have additional questions, and did not get the second letter (or for that matter the first letter), please call villages health directly to see where you stand with you specific insurance, your age, and your situation. There appears to be different situations based on age, insurance, etc.
As mentioned above, please carefully investigate your insurance options, ask a lot of questions so that you get the appropriate coverage for your situation.
Hope this helps.

[kitkat1]

I have basic Medicare with BC/BS Carefirst as secondary. I am really happy with my coverage. So what you are saying is that there are PCP's outside of the VHC that will accept my insurance plan?