SCAN Health Plan receives regulatory approval to expand in Northern California

SCAN Health Plan announced today that it has received regulatory approval to expand its Medicare Advantage Plan into San Francisco, Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties, effective January 1, 2010. This is the first entry into Northern California for the not-for-profit plan, which currently serves more than 110,000 Medicare members in California and Arizona.

Unlike most Medicare Advantage plans, SCAN has no commercial members, which allows it to dedicate 100 percent of its energy and programs toward serving older adults across the wide spectrum of aging. Its focus is to provide affordable and accessible quality healthcare to seniors and to continue to look for innovative ways to serve Medicare members' healthcare needs.

"For more than 30 years, SCAN has been committed to providing services that enhance seniors' ability to manage their health and to continue to control where and how they live," says company President and CEO Dave Schmidt. "As a result, we believe we bring a unique mission and an unmatched perspective that will enrich senior healthcare in Northern California."

Pending bid approval, SCAN's contracted physician groups in Northern California include Affinity Medical Group, Brown & Toland Medical Group, John Muir Physician Network and Santa Clara County IPA. Contracted hospitals in San Francisco County will include St. Mary's Medical Center and Saint Francis Memorial Hospital. In Santa Clara County the network includes Good Samaritan Hospital, O'Connor Hospital and Saint Louise Regional Hospital. And in Contra Costa County, provider hospitals include the San Pablo campus of Doctors Medical Center as well as the Concord and Walnut Creek campuses of John Muir Medical Center.

"We have assembled an outstanding provider network in Northern California and have a strong commitment to growth and retention in this market," said Schmidt. Growth has been a key part of SCAN's recent history as the health plan has doubled its membership in the past five years thanks to its reputation for member-centric services and competitive benefit plans. The growth can also be attributed to new market entries in San Diego, Ventura and Kern Counties as well as Arizona.

While benefit plans for 2010 are prohibited from being announced until October 1, Schmidt said that the plans SCAN will offer in Northern California will "focus on affordability and access plus the added benefit of the personal service SCAN routinely provides to its members." All of SCAN employees undergo an "age sensitivity program" to better help them understand the process of aging and better identify with members' needs. In addition, calls into SCAN during business hours are answered by one of SCAN's specially trained member service representatives, not by an automated recording. "This all adds up to the special SCAN touch, which we believe truly helps differentiate us and is one of the reasons members choose to remain with SCAN year after year," said Schmidt.