WellCare Of Florida And Sarasota Memorial Hospital Sign New Contract

Tampa and Sarasota, FL (PRWEB)- WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) and Sarasota Memorial Health Care System announced today that they have signed a new agreement that allows WellCare of Florida’s Medicaid members to continue to have in-network coverage at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. This agreement is effective immediately.

“We are happy to remain a participating provider for WellCare’s Medicaid managed care plan members and to continue giving patients the care they need,” said David Verinder, Sarasota Memorial president and CEO. “Because Sarasota Memorial treats nearly 90 percent of Sarasota County’s Medicaid patients requiring hospital care, we see this as a positive outcome for us, for WellCare and most importantly, for the thousands of Medicaid recipients throughout the region.”

“Our members’ health is our first priority and our job is to help ensure they get the right care at the right time in the most appropriate setting,” said Drew Hobby, WellCare of Florida’s vice president of field network management. “Given the longstanding nature of our relationship with Sarasota Memorial Hospital, we are pleased to come to an agreement that allows our Medicaid members to continue to have in-network access to this facility.”

WellCare of Florida’s Medicaid members have had in-network coverage at Sarasota Memorial Hospital since 1997. The company will notify impacted members about the new agreement. Members with questions can call 1-866-334-7927 (TTY 1-877-247-6272) for assistance.

WellCare serves approximately 628,000 Medicaid plan members, 75,000 Florida Healthy Kids members, 102,000 Medicare Advantage plan members and 62,000 Medicare Prescription Drug Plan members in Florida. To learn more about how the company cares for Floridians, watch Moise’s story at http://youtu.be/DmbKu8U7Ea8.

About WellCare Health Plans, Inc.
WellCare Health Plans, Inc. provides managed care services targeted to government-sponsored health care programs, including Medicaid, Medicare, Prescription Drug Plans and the Health Insurance Marketplace. Headquartered in Tampa, Fla., WellCare offers a variety of health plans for families, children, and the aged, blind and disabled. The company serves approximately 4 million members nationwide as of Sept. 30, 2014. For more information about WellCare, please visit the company's website at http://www.wellcare.com or view the company’s videos at https://www.youtube.com/user/WellCareHealthPlan.

About Sarasota Memorial Hospital System
Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is a regional referral center offering Southwest Florida’s greatest breadth and depth of inpatient, outpatient and extended care services, with more than 800 physicians, 4,000 staff and 800,000 patient visits a year. Sarasota Memorial’s acute care hospital has been recognized repeatedly as one of the nation’s best, with superior patient outcomes and a complete continuum of outpatient services– from urgent care centers and physician groups, to laboratory and imaging centers, home health, rehabilitation and long-term care. For more information, please visit http://www.smh.com.