Villages Healthcare System
 

Would appreciate any comments, pro or con, regarding your opinion of The Villages Healthcare system. Since it has been in use for awhile, I am sure there are many opinions out there. We are debating about whether or not to join. Thanks for your replies.

We go to the Pinellas Center and are very satisfied. The doctor spends whatever time is needed with us. Needed to get in once when pretty sick and got a same day appointment with no problem.

Have been a patient at Colony for 2 years. Happy with it. There were some growing pains in the early days (their capabilities didn't always match their PR), but things now seem to work well.

DH and I both go to Mulberry. Very satisfied, especially now with all records on line. Focused, attentive staff. Drs spend time as needed at each visit. My dr picked up a few things that my previous primary physician (up north) should have. Would recommend.

We were very happy with our first meeting with Dr. Perez in Pinellas. We wanted to get in before the available slots were filled, even though we will not be full time Villagers until next year.

I go to the Santa Barbara location. I joined the VHC on line before they even opened. I love it !!

I agree completely. We both go to Santa Barabra and love it. Very caring and prompt care always!

Join Village Health in Colony, Dr. Long very happy,now if I can decide what health insurance Advantage or Medicare sulplement be all set.

Love the system! Dr. Long is attentive and focuses on me, not paper work. Always on time. Can't beat it!

Not impressed so far. We had an incident over the weekend with a rather serious fall in which my wife injured her eye. We were out of town. The emergency room told her to see an ophthalmologist as soon as we got back home. I called 1st thing in the morning (8am) and Dr Perez is totally booked. After I complained long and loud they gave us a 5pm appointment with a physicians assistant. I don't want a PA this is my wife and this is her vision we're talking about here. Finally they told me to call back tomorrow at 7:30 and they would see if they could get her in till see 'a doctor'. What happened to the same day appointment they are so proud of? So far I am not seeing a whole lot of that ' we care' I was told to expect. Just the same old medical bureaucracy . Not a great way to begin a relationship.

Do you need a referral to see a specialist?

For something as serious as an eye injury, I would run--not walk--to an opthamologist. That is a true emergency. I'm surprised the staff at the Health Center encouraged you to wait.

I hope your wife is doing well.

Yes you do. It is an HMO. You have to have a primary Dr. and everything must be approved through him/her. If you want to go to any specialist, you must have a PPO to avoid needing referrals. You don't even need a PCP if you don't want one.

I would have gone to an urgent care center.

The Villages Health does work with one Medicare Advantage Plan, United Healthcare. Many of the their patients are enrolled in this plan, but others like myself are not. I have a Blue Cross Blue Shield Plan. I don't need a referral. The Villages Healthcare Plan is not an HMO.

I would have taken her to an eye Dr. Not my PCP

Gerryann- are you certain about this? My understanding is that for a true emergency you do not need a referral. Go to the ER and notify your plan/PCP as soon as possible after treatment. I would conclude the eye injury was an emergency and qualifies for the exclusion.

WAIT! The correct answer is, "It depends on terms of YOUR medical insurance."

The Villages Health System is not an HMO. It is a business that offers the services of health care providers.

An HMO is an organization that provides managed care for health insurance, self-funded health care benefit plans and individuals, and acts as a liaison with health care providers on a prepaid basis.

Gerryann, an HMO may require a referral from a PCP to see a specialist. If you have insurance from an HMO, you are in that boat.

Other insurance companies do not make that requirement. Medicare is a prime example. Also, if you have insurance from a PPO, you probably can see a specialist without a referral.

Correct - except in any case involving a true emergency. Then it is Katy bar the door. You never need a referral in the case of an emergency - HMO, PPO, etc. - just go to the emergency Room. Most likely they will have a specialist of the type you need on call.

I've been happy with the Villages Health system at Colony. When I was unable to get a same day appointment with the doctor I saw the PA and liked the way she communicated and have confidence with her. A strength of the system is the medical records technology. I got lab reports by email today. You can also email a request for a prescription renewal. I am concerned about a recent editorial in which the Villages Health spokesperson indicated that Medicare Advantage patients have same day appointments. We are changing to a supplement plan next year (which of course is more expensive) and I don't want to be a second class citizen.

To be clear, we went to ER they treated her and told us to Follow up with opthamologist a and primary. We have done so on our own. Just commenting that villages health care is not quite the Marcus Welby they led us to believe .

Of course in an emergency you always go to an emergency room or urgent care regardless of what insurance you have. I would never imply that you wouldn't.

I believe that's the villages health care is still defined as an HMO. They are just paid differently than your usual HMO. They are salaried.

The Villages Health is an organization of medical providers (i.e. doctors, nurses etc). It is not an HMO, which is a type of insurance sold by an "insurance company". What you may be confused by is a United Healthcare Medicare Advantage HMO which is called something like 'The Villages Medicare Advantage HMO by United Healthcare'. The Villages Health accepts and promotes this plan. However The Villages Health also accepts other United Healthcare Medicare advantage plans such as "PPO's"

Ok, now I understand. However, you still have to use their Drs, correct? ......and can you go out of network if you want?

More concerning is neither Shands nor Moffitt are in network.

We have been with them before the beginning through
Family doctors of Bellview. We are at Santa Barbara and love their staff. We've been through emergencies without issue. I looked at the program offered by TV and quickly discarded their plan. No one ever gets something for zero premiums. Read the fine print. I was also less than impressed by their sales person at Brownwood. I felt he simply wanted to close the sale, not offer what I needed. If you travel or summer in you home state you may be without coverage. We head back to NH for a few months each summer. Only 3 counties have coverage. But if I had not asked, he would never have told me. Also check out the day rate for hospitals. There is a 5 day copay per incident not per year.
I chose UH plan F as my supplement. It's readily accepted at VHS as was my NH state pension health plan. You don't have to be part of the VHS plan to receive services.
Buyer beware. Nothing in life is free!

Exactly. My concern is belonging to any plan that designates who you MUST see. The only way folks that are "so happy" with the villages plan or any "free" plan for that matter will be when they have a devistating illness and they are not allowed to see Drs that might help.

No matter what plan you have, for some cost, you can always go out of network. It might cost you a 20% out of network fee (typical PPO plan), or you might have to pay 100% out of your pocket (some HMOs). For a true emergency there will typically be some moderation of your potential out of pocket expense.

If you have the HMO you would see your network doctor who could give a referral for a network specialist. If you have a PPO, in most cases you can pick your own network specialist without a referral. In either case, you can go out of network at an additional cost.

I have an HMO insurance. Village Healthcare is on my list of approved physicians. My husband has Medicare and supplement plan AARP United Healthcare F. He chooses The Villages Healthcare for his PRIMARY dr. We have our own specialists that take our insurance. If you need to see your primary dr, as a follow up to an emergency, then I feel the primary should be available. BUT isn't this a scheduling issue with the front desk?

We have also joined at Pinellas Center. Been very pleased with thoroughness of initial visits.

We are newbies and live in Piedmont. We are both Medicare people and would love a physician who is smart and caring as well as some advice on plans.

I have a great doctor at Creekside. However, seeing her is the problem. I called for an appointment late in November and was told that she does not have an opening until the end of first week in January. I saw the nurse the next week who did not solve my problem. By now the next opening is mid January. Before choosing a center, I would check first your chances of seeing your doctor when you need to. My husband goes to Premier Medical and sees only his doctor, not a nurse, within a week.

What insurance do you have.....that could be one of the issues. My wife had the same experience until I signed up for UH Advantage, Regional PPO. When I did that her appointments were all moved up. We are back north for the holidays and I have seen two specialists and my old family doctor and all took my plan so up to this point I have had no issue. I took the Regional PPO as I am not fan of HMO's.

Why does a medicare advantage plan make you a second class citizen?

I currently use Premier Medical and love Dr, Gegaj. However, on Dec 2 I needed to see the doc and could not get an appt before Dec 16! When I complained I was told to go to urgent care. This is not the first time this has happened . This, and their back office is why I am examining other options.

Very happy with Village Health. When my wife could not see her doctor at Lake Sumter, they referred her to a PA in Colony. She was able to get proper treatment the same day. I believe the data will be made into the system so in the future Lake Sumter doctor will know what treatment was done at Colony. Recently I had to go to Village Regional Hospital and my data was already in so no need to file new information. I was a new patient there. Overall, we are very pleased with the service. One question I have is why doctors here recommend Medicare Advantage. Since we travel both in and outside the U.S. rather frequently, we have to have a different insurance. Perhaps if we are Village bound, Medicare Advantage will be better.