Florida Health Care Plans interim CEO starts

After having had just three chief executive officers in the past 30 years, Daytona Beach-based Florida Health Care Plans wound up having three different people take up the CEO reins in 2024.

The nation's second-oldest health maintenance organization confirmed on Monday that Tracy Williams has taken the helm as interim CEO. She succeeds Steven Blumberg who became CEO of FHCP in September.

Blumberg has had to step aside because of an "unexpected medical leave," according to a statement issued by the HMO.

Blumberg is a longtime executive with GuideWell, the Jacksonville-based parent company of both FHCP as well as Florida Blue.

He succeeded Dr. Stephen Keen who became CEO of FHCP on Jan. 1, 2024, but has since left the company to pursue other career opportunities.

Why the latest change in CEOs?

"Tracy Williams, MHA, GuideWell Health Executive, is serving as interim President and CEO of Florida Health Care Plans (FHCP) while Steven Blumberg is on extended medical leave," said Steve Gerrish, director of corporate communications and marketing for FHCP, in an email responding to inquiries from The Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Gerrish did not respond when asked if Blumberg is expected to eventually resume his role as CEO.

Who is Williams?

According to her profile on LinkedIn, Williams has been employed by GuideWell for the past four years. Since September 2023, she has been market president for Sanitas Medical Centers in the north and west regions of Florida. She also has been president of the Diagnostic Clinic Medical Group since May 2021, a multispecialty physician group owned by GuideWell that serves more than 60,000 multi-payer patients in Pinellas and Polk counties, and GuideWell's senior director of provider assets since June 2020.

Prior to joining GuideWell, Williams worked for Ascension St. Vincent's hospitals in Jacksonville for 13 years.

She began her career in 2004 as a physical therapist with Heartland Rehabilitation Service in Jacksonville, where she was promoted the following year to clinic manager.

Williams earned a bachelor's degree in health science, sports medicine and athletic training at the University of North Florida, and later returned to UNF to earn master's degrees in physical therapy and health administration.

"Tracy joined GuideWell in 2020 and has overseen clinical operations for primary care and multi-specialty care clinics across Florida, including Diagnostic Clinic Medical Group and Sanitas Medical Centers," said Gerrish. "During her 20-year health care career that started as a certified athletic trainer and licensed physical therapist, she has led multiple clinical entities, including Ascension St. Vincent's Jacksonville.

"Tracy has board experience in process improvement to enhance patient experience, quality, and outcomes; building cultures of safety, transparency, and accountability; and delivering innovative clinical solutions that create more harmonized experiences."

Williams is not available for interviews at this time, said Gerrish.

What is FHCP?

FHCP is the nation's second oldest continuously operating HMO.

It commenced operations as a not-for-profit entity on July 1, 1974, just six months after President Richard Nixon signed the Health Care Maintenance Act of 1973.

The country's first HMO was Ross-Loos Medical Group, which was founded in 1929 in Los Angeles, California.

It was sold in 1980 to a company that later merged to form Cigna Group.

HMOs are managed health care plans featuring a network of health care providers who treat patients for a prepaid cost.

The HMO Act was created as a way to improve patient care, decrease health care costs, and put a greater emphasis on preventative care.

FHCP was founded by local physician Dr. Edwin Davis and attorney William "Bill" Moore.

It is the Volusia-Flagler area's largest HMO.

As of the start of 2024, it had an estimated 73,000 members in Volusia County and 10,000 in Flagler County.

It also has 10,000 members in Brevard, 4,600 in St. Johns, and 10,000 in Seminole.

To be a member, you must live in one of the five counties FHCP serves at least six months out of the year. It employs more than 1,500 employees (including 150 FHCP primary care doctors) and operates clinics throughout the five counties it serves that provide healthcare and pharmacy services as well as agents that can assist people with their health insurance needs.

FHCP has 32 clinical locations, including 14 comprehensive care centers. Its headquarters are at 2450 Mason Ave. in Daytona Beach.

Who are its past CEOs?

FHCP was originally led by Davis, who served as president and medical director, while Moore served as executive director. Attorney Edward "Butch" Simpson became FHCP's first CEO in 1994. Simpson was succeeded in 2010 by Dr. Wendy Myers, who was previously FHCP's chief medical officer. Upon her retirement in 2019, Myers turned over the CEO reins to David Schandel, who was previously chief financial officer for FHCP. Schandel retired at the beginning of 2024. Keen, who is in his early 40s, began his career as a family physician with FHCP who later became vice president of business operations.

What is GuideWell?

According to GuideWell's website, it was created by Florida Blue in 2014 as a "not-for-profit mutual holding company with a family of companies offering a range of health solutions to businesses and consumers. ... Currently, we reach more than 27 million health care consumers across 34 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. We are proud to employ more than 18,000 people across the nation."

"We're not here to be the best plan in Florida. We're here to be the best health solutions company in the United States," GuideWell Chairman and CEO Pat Geraghty told attendees of a Medifuture conference in Tampa in 2014, according to a Sept. 18, 2014 article published by Health News Florida.

Today, in addition to Florida Blue and FHCP, GuideWell's subsidiaries include Novitas Solutions Inc., GuideWell Innovation, Diagnostic Clinic Medical Group PA, WebTPA, GuideWell Source, First Coast Service Options Inc., and PopHealthCare.