Florida Blue is expanding its Sanitas Medical clinics with four new centers in Hillsborough County early next year.
The first Sanitis Medical Clinic in the Tampa Bay region opened in early 2017 and billed itself as Tampa's first multicultural medical center.
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David Pizzo, the market president for the West region for Florida Blue, says the clinics in Citrus Park, Lake Magdalene, Temple Terrace and Riverview will make care even more accessible.
"When we look at a map and where our membership resides, there's there will now be a Sanitas Medical Center within a fairly close driving distance to anyone in the county,” Pizzo said.
Pizzo says these clinics will also have bilingual staff, but are not necessarily focused primarily on Spanish speakers like the West Hillsborough Avenue location.
Florida’s first Sanitas Medical Center opened in late 2015 in the Miami-Dade area, providing care for about 10,000 Florida Blue members.
Sanitas Medical Centers is a joint venture between Florida-based GuideWell and Colombia-based Sanitas.
Expansion plans call for 34 locations across Florida in 2020, with additional facilities slated in Central and South Florida. They currently serve about 200,000 patients.
Pizzo says the clinics' bilingual staffs provide routine care, preventive care, chronic disease management and lab services to Florida Blue members, out-of-state Blue Cross Blue Shield Members, those with Medicare Parts A or B, and patients who are self-pay.
"We're seeing 30% fewer in-patient admissions, and 35% fewer outpatient hospital visits and 20% fewer emergency room visits,” Pizzo said.
Services, Pizzo said, extend beyond traditional primary care to include nutritionists, social workers, and telemedicine services.
New Hillsborough County locations:
- Citrus Park – 12879 Citrus Park Dr., Tampa
- Lake Magdalene – 14821 N. Florida Ave., Tampa
- Temple Terrace – 8793 N. 56th St., Temple Terrace
- Riverview – 3140 S. Falkenburg Rd., Suite 102, Riverview
