The Villages Health is surveying former patients in an apparent effort to woo some of them back.
Responses to the survey by Study Hall Research, a Tampa marketing and branding research consulting firm, are due by Sunday midnight, according to an email sent to the past patients.
“Your participation in this important survey is encouraged and all survey responses are totally anonymous,” stated the email from Joshua Tahan, a firm employee. “If your household has multiple individuals with any patient history with The Villages Health, each individual is encouraged to respond to the survey.”
Tahan said the survey would take about 12 to 14 minutes and that the former patients could complete it in one or several sessions. He also offered former patients the option to unsubscribe and not receive any further communication. Respondents will be entered into a drawing for 20 AMEX gift cards worth $50 each.
A year ago, The Villages Health announced it no longer would accept patients with Original Medicare and supplemental policies, also known as Medigap, effective Jan. 1, 2017. To continue to receive care at its six primary care clinics, patients had to enroll in The Villages Medicare Advantage plans through United Healthcare.
The system continued to accept Tri-Care, which covers many retired military veterans, and commercial insurance for patients not yet eligible for Medicare.
The announcement unleashed a firestorm of complaints. Besides many letters to the editor of the Villages-News.com protesting the action, more than 80 percent of respondents to an online poll said they would keep their Medicare plans and leave The Villages Health.
A later survey by the National Retiree Legislative Network found that 93 percent of about 2,700 affected patients taking the survey said they would give up their doctors rather than their insurance.
Up to 15,000 of the health system’s estimated 42,000 patients were affected by the change.
Since the change, The Villages Health has not publicly revealed the number of patients who left. Developer Mark Morse did not mention the health system’s issues during his annual “Evening with the Developer” event in May.
Morse did talk about a specialty clinic under construction near Brownwood. The Villages Health has been criticized for its shortage of specialists in some areas.
One survey respondent said the questions seemed to emphasize whether former patients were still angry about the change and whether they are willing to return. Another former patient said he refused to participate in the survey.
Some doctors have left The Villages Health while others have been asked to work longer hours and give up their bonus payments.
The Villages Health made the move partly to stem some of its red ink. The Developer gave a reported $6 million the previous year to erase a loss in the health system’s books.
In the Medicare Advantage plans, the health system receives monthly payments whether the patients receive care or not. For patients with Original Medicare, The Villages Health is paid only for the services it provides.
