March 28, 2013
Dear Patient,
We understand you received a new communication from Florida Blue about VitalMD. We are disappointed
at their tone as well as the large number of inaccuracies their communication contains. We appreciate your
time and this opportunity to clarify who we are and what we are trying to accomplish.
Who is VitalMD?
I am VitalMD! I am one of nearly 300 physicians within VitalMD’s group practice. VitalMD is not just a
“company that handles collections, contract negotiations and other administrative services” for me as they
state. We are physicians who have come together to provide the highest quality medicine to our patients.
To be admitted into our group, our physicians are carefully evaluated, must be board certified, and must
provide the highest quality, most cost effective medicine. We survey hundreds of thousands of patients per
year to ensure they are happy with our service and we continually strive to improve based on your
feedback.
How VitalMD’s Evolution Helps You
While we started as a women’s health group, we expanded to add new specialties in response to the
changing needs of the health care environment. For example, we invested in and built our first diagnostic
center for women in Miami. We hired only the highest quality radiologists, all trained in breast imaging
specifically. We now perform nearly 30,000 mammograms a year at a cost far below that of any hospital.
Recently we added a surgical oncologist at the center who specializes in breast surgery for cancer patients.
If our radiologists suspect or diagnose breast cancer, we can now get the patient an immediate
appointment with our breast surgeon, right on site, to begin planning treatment. Our patients are grateful.
We have made similar efforts as we have added other specialties, including our hand-selected pediatricians
to take care of thousands of our newborns. Our efforts to integrate patient care are part of the solution,
not the cause of increasing health care costs as Florida Blue implies. We are asking that Florida Blue
recognize our integrated multi-specialty group model, as all other large insurers have already done. In fact,
VitalMD has simply asked for a continuation of our previous contract at our previous rates without any
increases in rates.
However, Florida Blue’s recent communications state that only our women’s health physicians (mainly ObGyns) deserve recognition for these superior services. We feel that our pediatricians, our surgical
oncologists, our radiologists and all of the other physicians we have carefully chosen to care for our
patients should not experience decreases in rates given the quality of care they deliver.
Above all, we are disappointed that some patients will not continue in our care and will be forced to find a
new physician. But we are also disappointed that patients have been caught up in this detailed yet
misleading communication from Florida Blue. Please continue to express your concern by posting a
comment on the Florida Blue Facebook page.
I am VitalMD and I hope you will support me.
Sincerely,
Dr.
Please see the detailed FAQ at www.vitalmd.com
for further information.
Please visit http://www.femwell.com/find-aphysician/ for a complete list of our physicians.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below is a list of Frequently Asked Questions regarding our progress with Florida Blue and important
information about your continuity of care.
What is VitalMD?
VitalMD is a large physician group practice with nearly 300 board certified physicians in Florida. On March
12, 2013, the contract between VitalMD and Florida Blue expired and VitalMD has not been able to obtain
a new contract.
Please know that our patients are our top priority. Our relationship with you is important to us and we
strive to provide you with the best possible care. The doctors of VitalMD are disappointed that we have not
been able to reach an acceptable agreement with Florida Blue.
Which products within Florida Blue are affected by this termination?
All Florida Blue plans are affected. All federal and Blue Cross Blue Shield plans from other states are also
affected.
Which physicians are affiliated with VitalMD?
Our group practice is composed of the highest quality physicians in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach,
Volusia and Lake Counties. Specialties include primary care, pediatrics, obstetrics-gynecology, gynecologyoncology, uro-gynecology, maternal fetal medicine, breast radiology, surgery, urology and dermatology.
Please visit www.femwell.com for a directory of providers within the VitalMD network.
We realize that Florida Blue has provided you with a list of alternate physicians outside of the VitalMD
group. We are concerned that Florida Blue’s alternate physician list was inaccurate and included many
VitalMD physicians which caused frustration and confusion. Many patients have found it challenging to find
high-quality physicians outside of the VitalMD network to support their needs.
What is the status of the contract renewal between Florida Blue and VitalMD?
So far, we have not been able to reach an agreement with Florida Blue primarily because VitalMD is
growing its outstanding group practice of Ob-Gyns into a multi-specialty group. We are doing this to be
prepared for the changes occurring in health care. Our goal is to integrate the services we offer to our
patients—nearly 400,000 women and children primarily—in order to improve the quality and total costs of
their care significantly.
VitalMD has dedicated substantial resources to develop our infrastructure and recruit only the best
obstetricians, gynecologists, obstetric gynecologists, pediatricians, primary care physicians, radiologists,
breast and general surgeons, and other physicians in to our group. Unfortunately, Florida Blue does not
want to recognize the changes our group is making to meet the evolving needs of the health care market.
All other major insurance carriers have recognized VitalMD’s multi-specialty growth initiative.
Florida Blue is trying to prohibit and dictate the way our group of physicians should practice medicine for
the sake of short term affordability instead of long term effective overall care for the patient.
We do hope that Florida Blue will see the value that we bring to our patients. We are hopeful that at some
point in the near future we will reach an agreement.
Florida Blue tells me they are terminating VitalMD in order to contain costs. Is this true?
Increased costs in medicine and in your monthly insurance premiums are driven by long hospital stays, over
utilization of expensive tests like MRIs and even branded rather than generic medicines-- not by what the
doctor gets paid.
VitalMD physicians provide quality, efficient medicine. We have created programs to reduce length of
hospital stays, prescribe generic instead of brand name medications where appropriate, and move
surgeries out of the hospital and in to surgical centers or even our offices whenever clinically possible. This
means that VitalMD physicians are part of the solution in decreasing costs, not the problem.
Florida Blue’s recent communications state that only our women’s health physicians (mainly Ob-Gyns)
deserve recognition for these superior services. We feel that our pediatricians, our surgical oncologists, our
radiologists and all of the other physicians we have carefully chosen to care for our patients should not
experience decreases in rates given the quality of care they deliver.
I have an appointment scheduled with my doctor, what should I do?
Visits, such as well visits or non-urgent immunizations, should be temporarily rescheduled. If your
appointment is not urgent, please contact your doctor’s office to reschedule your appointment for a later
date.
If you must maintain your appointment and are not eligible to obtain continuity of care from your VitalMD
physician, then your out-of-network benefit rates will apply.
Who is eligible for continuity of care?
Any active course of treatment for a condition shall continue to be covered upon completion of a continuity
of care form.
If you have initiated a course of prenatal care, regardless of the trimester in which care was initiated, are
allowed to continue coverage for such care until completion of postpartum care.
Please contact your doctor’s office directly to discuss continuity of care.
If you are not eligible to obtain continuity of care from your VitalMD physician, then your out-of-network
benefit rates will apply.
What other insurance carriers does VitalMD accept?
Other major insurance carriers in our area have recognized our patient care excellence including AvMed,
Aetna, Cigna, Coventry/Vista, Medica, Neighborhood Health Plan and United Healthcare. We encourage
you and your employers to consider these health-plans as excellent alternatives for 2013 and beyond.
What can I do to voice my concerns with Florida Blue?
You can make a difference. We encourage you to voice your displeasure to Florida Blue by calling or
emailing their decision makers listed below:
Andy Marino - Vice President, Network Development for the State of FL
Phone: (904) 905-5846
Fax: (904) 301-1591
Email: Andy.Marino@bcbsfl.com
Marie Been - Regional Director, South Florida Network Contracting & Management
Phone: (954) 714-3605
Fax: (305) 716-9316
Email: Marie.Been@bcbsfl.com
You can also express your concern by posting a comment on the Florida Blue Facebook page.
Thank you for your support. It is only with your help that we will potentially be able to reach an
agreement with Florida Blue.