UniHealth eyes venture with Florida medical group; expertise dealing with managed care proves attractive.UniHealth America is negotiating with Columbia/HCA Inc. to form a venture that may prep the latter company's Florida medical professionals about the changes to be wrought by managed care. The joint venture could include Burbank-based UniHealth conducting informational seminars for some of Columbia's doctors, or offering administrative assistance, although terms of the possible deal have yet to be determined. "The idea would be for some kind of a joint venture between UniHealth and Columbia to work with some of Columbia's affiliated physicians and medical groups to help them prepare. However, it is really too early to tell at this point," said Ross Ross , Sir Ronald 1857-1932. British physician. He won a 1902 Nobel Prize for proving that malaria is transmitted to humans by the bite of the mosquito. Goldberg, a UniHealth spokesman. Goldberg added that any joint venture would exclude UniHealth aiding Columbia "in the clinical practice of medicine." He denied the two companies are considering a full-fledged merger, although he did not rule out the possibility of expanding a joint venture beyond Florida should the initial deal prove successful. Expanding in Florida Not-for-profit Not-for-profit An organization established for charitable, humanitarian, or educational purposes that is exempt from some taxes and in which no one in profits or losses. UniHealth operates 10 hospitals in Southern and Central California Central California can refer to one of several divisions or regions of the U.S state of California:
HMO n. A corporation that is financed by insurance premiums and has member physicians and professional staff who provide curative and preventive medicine within certain financial, PacifiCare Health Plans and full ownership of CareAmerica Health Plans. Columbia/HCA, based in Louisville, Ky., is the nation's largest hospital operator, with a heavy presence in the Southeast, particularly Florida. PacifiCare, which Goldberg indicated would likely play a role in the joint venture, has been aggressively purchasing small HMOs in Florida the past year. Columbia officials declined direct comment. "We're talking to Noun 1. talking to - a lengthy rebuke; "a good lecture was my father's idea of discipline"; "the teacher gave him a talking to" lecture, speech rebuke, reprehension, reprimand, reproof, reproval - an act or expression of criticism and censure; "he had to a lot of people (regarding joint ventures) ... but it's just not beneficial to get into who the companies are," said Columbia spokeswoman Lindy lin·dy or Lin·dy n. pl. lin·dies A lively swing dance for couples. Also called lindy hop. [From Lindynickname of Charles Augustus Lindbergh. Richardson. UniHealth's Goldberg said that a California-based health care concern helping professionals in other parts of the country makes sense. "Managed care is much more prevalent to California and Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, than it is for other parts of the country," he said, "but many parts of the country also know that it's coming, and are looking toward Southern California and trying to learn some lessons." Some studies -- particularly benefits consultant Foster Higgins Inc.'s annual survey of what companies pay for health care -- suggest that more economical managed care plans such as HMOs are not nearly as prevalent in the East and Southeast as they are in California and the rest of the western United States Noun 1. western United States - the region of the United States lying to the west of the Mississippi River West Santa Fe Trail - a trail that extends from Missouri to New Mexico; an important route for settlers moving west in the 19th century . "The key here is that Columbia/HCA has all these distribution sites and the presence of so many markets and UniHealth has the experience with Southern California, managed care and physician alignments. You put that together and they would probably work well," Goldberg said. |
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