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UCSF and Hill Physicians Form New Health Care Option for San Francisco

Issue: September 2009

UCSF Medical Group and Hill Physicians Medical Group have formed a new affiliation to provide access to primary and specialty health services for HMO members whose primary care provider is based in San Francisco. Hill Physicians is the largest independent physician association in Northern California.

The new health care option will be effective January 1, 2010, when UCSF's long-standing relationship with Brown & Toland, an independent practice association in San Francisco, ends. The new arrangement impacts patients who belong to an HMO through Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield, CIGNA, HealthNet or United/PacifiCare. Patients who select a Hill Physicians' doctor in San Francisco or Daly City for primary care can receive specialty care from UCSF, UCSF Medical Center, UCSF Children's Hospital, and Hill Physicians specialists with a referral from their primary care physician.

All doctors who are members of the UCSF Medical Group, which is composed of faculty members of the clinical departments of the School of Medicine who also practice at UCSF, will become participating physicians of Hill Physicians.

UCSF is discussing a new contractual arrangement with Brown & Toland to enable HMO patients with a Brown & Toland primary care doctor to still use UCSF services. However, access under that contract now will likely involve prior authorization and administrative review by Brown & Toland. Although patients do not need to take action now, if they wish to continue to have unrestricted access to UCSF they will need to select a Hill Physicians primary care doctor in San Francisco during their employers' next open enrollment session or by contacting their HMO before December 31, 2009.

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