PPC network adds ambulance providers
We regularly review our Preferred
Patient Care (PPC) network
arrangements as part of our effort
to ensure we are competitive in the
markets we serve. As of November
2005, air, water and ground ambulance
providers are eligible to participate
in the PPC network.
Your out-of-pocket expenses are
lower when you choose a network
provider* for any covered service
you need. The claim is filed for you,
and the claim payment is made
directly to the provider. What’s
more, you cannot be billed for any
difference between the provider’s
charge and the allowed amount.
If you choose providers who do not
participate in the PPC network, you
must file the claim and could be
subject to balance billing. Payment
is made to you, and you are responsible
for any difference between the
provider’s charge and the allowed
amount.
Check our online provider directory
for the most up-to-date information
on network providers.
We’re helping physicians cross the cultural divide
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of
Florida is the first health insurer in
the United States to offer physicians
the interactive online course Quality
Interactions to help improve their
communication with members from
diverse backgrounds.
An Institute of Medicine report cites
disparities in the delivery of health
care to people of different racial and
ethnic groups as a major cause of
poor health outcomes.
“Research shows that language
and cultural differences between
providers and patients are linked to
health disparities among minorities.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of
Florida seeks to address these gaps
by educating doctors about how to
approach and establish relationships
with patients from various
ethnic backgrounds,” says Jennifer
Cayanas, Blue Cross and Blue
Shield of Florida’s manager of
emerging markets. Some cultures,
for example, do not easily discuss
cancer within families. In other
cases, language can prevent a
patient’s understanding a doctor’s
diagnosis and treatment. “If a
patient doesn’t understand what
hypertension means, for example,”
says Cayanas, “he or she might
focus on the tension part of the term
and only take blood pressure medicine
when feeling tense or stressed,
instead of regularly.”
It is important for physicians to
understand cultural differences in
order to better communicate,
improve diagnoses and gain agreement
around and compliance with
treatment plans.
Nearly 3,000 primary care doctors
statewide have been offered the
Quality Interactions course this
year. Next year, it will be offered
to many specialists who care for
our members.
