Florida Blue of Jacksonville continues to expand its Florida Blue Sanitas Medical Centers throughout the state. They’re geared toward the health insurance company’s clients and focus on primary care. They currently serve 500,000 members in Florida.
The centers are operated in collaboration with Keralty, a multinational health organization.
“Sanitas understands that to deliver on the quintuple aim of improving population health, enhancing the care experience, reducing costs, improving the provider experience, and advancing health equity, we must transition from a system focused on treating sickness to one focused on keeping people healthy,” says Dr. Elana Schrader, SVP of health care services for Florida Blue and president of GuideWell Health. GuideWell is Florida Blue’s parent company.
Sanitas services include primary care, mental health support, routine labs and an option to choose between in-person or 24/7 virtual visits. Some locations also offer urgent care, pharmacy needs and diagnostic imaging.
The idea behind the centers is to offer payor and provider integration for better coordination of care for members and increased benefits and coverage — ultimately, to push for better health outcomes, Schrader says.
Florida Blue first opened Sanitas locations in South Florida and then expanded to Tampa and Orlando.
There are currently 60 locations in 13 counties, including a virtual care operation center. Ten more locations are slated to open early next year in Collier, Duval, Lee, Marion and Sarasota counties.
Jacksonville has a Sanitas location that opened this past January and is geared toward patients age 50 and above. The other two new centers in Jacksonville are scheduled to open in January.
In addition to the new Jacksonville 50+ location, there are four other Sanitas locations in the state focused on care for older adults. “We put the primary care services that older adults need in one convenient location, making it easier to achieve health goals and overall well-being,” Schrader says. This includes longer appointments and access to wellness programs like arts and crafts, cooking and fitness.
Newer programs offered through Sanitas locations include BeWell, a mental health program to help those with mild to moderate anxiety and depression; and specialized services for severe mental illness and substance use disorders, Schrader says.