Archive for December, 2009

Important Update about One Medical Group, Hill Physicians and Brown & Toland

December 22, 2009

As you may be aware, UCSF will be changing its primary HMO group relationship from Brown & Toland to Hill Physicians effective January 1, 2010. If you have PPO insurance, this should not impact your care or ability to be seen at UCSF. But if you have HMO insurance and have a strong preference for seeing UCSF specialists, you should read the information below.

To ensure that all One Medical Group patients have access to the best specialists in the city, we have decided to accept patients from both HMO networks — Hill Physicians AND Brown & Toland. While this has added some administrative complexity for us, we know that this decision will allow you to choose which network best serves your specialty care needs, and will allow you to maintain your primary care relationship with us at One Medical Group in either case.

Please be aware that some administrative glitches may occur as health plans begin to process the new information. We appreciate your patience during this transition.

More complete details are below. Please let us know if you have any questions!

Wishing you happy and healthy holidays,

One Medical Group

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Important Information about One Medical Group, Hill Physicians and Brown & Toland

If you have PPO insurance, none of the information below will impact your medical care or insurance in 2010. You can continue to see primary care providers at One Medical Group, as well as any of your preferred specialists. If you have HMO insurance, some of the information below is important for you to know, especially if you have a strong preference for seeing specialists at UCSF.

  • One Medical Group is in the process of joining the Hill Physicians network.  We anticipate being officially accepted January 1, 2010.
  • One Medical Group plans to continue its relationship with the Brown & Toland network.
  • HMO patients of One Medical Group can choose to affiliate with either network (Brown & Toland or Hill Physicians), depending on personal preferences.
  • For those HMO patients who have a strong preference to see UCSF specialists, you may want to consider switching from Brown & Toland to Hill Physicians (please review all implications of such a change directly with Brown & Toland and/or Hill Physicians).
  • If you wish to change to Hill Physicians AND maintain your primary care relationship with us at One Medical Group, we recommend you make the change AFTER January 1, 2010. That way you can switch to Hill Physicians and select us as your primary care provider with just one call.
  • To make the change to Hill Physicians, call the phone number on your insurance card, ask them to switch you to the Hill Physicians Network, then tell them the name of your One Medical Group primary care physician.
  • If your One Medical Group primary care physician is not yet listed, please be patient. The health plans may need several weeks to update their databases.
  • Should you have further questions, send us an email: info@onemedical.md

We’ll also be sending periodic updates as they develop; stay informed by subscribing to this blog or by following us on Twitter.

Influenza Vaccine Availability Update: New York City Office

December 1, 2009

H1N1 (Swine Flu) Vaccine

Our New York City office has received a limited amount of the H1N1 vaccine. While supplies last, we are offering this to our members on a first-come, first-served basis.  Priority will be given to members who are at-risk, including:

  • Pregnant women and women planning to become pregnant
  • Household contacts and caregivers of children under 6 months of age
  • Young adults between 14 and 24 years of age
  • Patients with a chronic medical condition, such as diabetes, obesity, heart or lung disease, asthma, cancer, AIDS, etc.

Members can receive the vaccine on a walk-in basis during regular office hours.  Non-members should call the office to make an appointment. Please note that while the vaccine itself is free, we do charge a small administrative fee.  This fee is covered by most insurances.

Seasonal Flu Vaccine

Because vaccine manufacturers have been diverting their resources to producing the H1N1 vaccine, the entire U.S. is currently experiencing a shortage of the seasonal flu vaccine. We’re sorry to report that we have exhausted our supply of seasonal flu vaccine at our New York office. We will let you know if we receive an additional supply.