A new model for health care for Medicare beneficiaries in Florida has come to Pinellas County.

Two new Alignment Healthcare Centers are now open in Eagles Park Shopping Center in St. Petersburg and Diagnostic Clinic Medical Group in Largo, with the official ribbon cutting taking place at the St. Petersburg location on Thursday.

Alignment Healthcare Centers are designed specifically for seniors and provide supplemental, coordinated care to members of the BlueMedicare Preferred HMO offered by Florida Health Care Plans, an affiliate of Florida Blue. The centers are a resource for members and serve as a supplement to care they receive from their primary care physicians, offering personalized, integrated and comprehensive disease management programs for chronic conditions such as diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and congestive heart failure, as well as wound care and pre-operative and post-operative care.

“The Alignment Healthcare Centers provide innovative, supplemental care to BlueMedicare Preferred HMO members. Alignment Healthcare’s proactive and unique approach is the future of health care and will improve health outcomes, especially for those with chronic illness,” said Luisa Charbonneau, vice president of government markets at Florida Blue. “Members continue to see their primary care physician, and they also have Alignment here to support their health whenever it is needed.”

Plan members also benefit from advanced coordination and alerts to Alignment staff, triggered by more than 70,000 proprietary algorithms developed by Alignment Healthcare that are designed to lower the risk for member hospitalization. For example, referrals to a neurologist could mean serious long-term cognitive problems down the road. Therefore, if a member were referred to a neurologist, the Alignment system would receive an immediate alert based on the insurance claim, triggering communication to the primary care physician, a visit to the care center, counseling with the family, and home safety assessments to reduce the risk of falls. Remote monitoring kits can send biometric information to the care center, and alert the care team to issues such as low blood sugar or sudden weight change, depending on the member’s condition. An Alignment Healthcare clinician will be in touch with the member within minutes of receiving an alert.

“Alignment Healthcare is transforming health care for Medicare beneficiaries by partnering with leading health care systems and health plans across the country to provide care that is more convenient and coordinated, leading to better health outcomes for our patients,” said John Kao, CEO and president of Alignment Healthcare. “Florida is a key destination for our nation’s retirees, and we are happy to have the opportunity to serve them and their primary care providers.”

Six new Alignment Healthcare Centers opened in Florida in 2016, with two in Pinellas County as well as locations serving Manatee, Sarasota, Clay and Duval counties. The two new centers in Pinellas County are located in the Eagles Park Shopping Center at 5425 Park St. North, Suite 7W, St. Petersburg, and inside Diagnostic Clinic Medical Group at 1301 Second Ave. SW, Largo.

The new Pinellas County care centers are exclusively for Florida Health Care Plan’s BlueMedicare Preferred HMO members and offer comprehensive services to assist a member’s primary care physician including nutritionists, podiatrists, mental health professionals, social workers and case managers.

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