New Payment Model for Users of Island Health Project
Dear Fishers Island Community,
Following the announcement that Dr. Lauren Davis will soon be joining us as our physician, IHP would like to share news about other changes in the way medical care will be delivered on Fishers.
Yale New Haven Health / Northeast Medical Group (NEMG) is requiring small practices like ours to transition to a new model known as “Community Connect.” This system-wide change requires us to operate and manage the practice on Fishers Island locally. Under New York State law, medical services must be delivered through a physician-controlled professional corporation. To accommodate this requirement, several years ago IHP supported the formation of Fishers Island Medical Services (“FIMS”). FIMS is governed by physicians who are members of the Fishers Island community and works collaboratively with its healthcare team to oversee the delivery of medical services on Fishers Island. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, IHP will continue to support the delivery of medical services on Fishers Island through FIMS financially and philanthropically.
FIMS will operate as an independent practice. This transition will afford greater flexibility in managing and strengthening our local practice while preserving the continuity of care our community depends on. Importantly, NEMG and Lawrence & Memorial Hospital have assured us that there will be no change in their professional relationships with the Fishers Island office, or in the way L&M and other components of the Yale network provide care to Fishers Island patients. In addition, FIMS will maintain access to Epic, so all patients’ historical charts will remain accessible and no patient data will be lost.
Billing for the Fishers Island office will no longer be done by NEMG, and FIMS must develop its own system for billing and collecting, including from insurers. For the time being, FIMS will be instituting a fixed fee schedule for office visits. The goal is to keep this fee fair, reasonable, and affordable, and the system will receive regular review:
- Island residents: $10 per visit
- Seasonal visitors and non-residents: $40 per visit
- Medicare patients: billed through Medicare as usual — no change
- Medicare HMO: $10 for residents, $40 Seasonal visitors and non-residents
Patients will receive documentation that may be submitted independently to their insurance carrier for possible out-of-network reimbursement, depending on individual plan benefits.
We understand this is a meaningful change, and we deeply appreciate your patience and support. We remain committed to providing accessible, high-quality healthcare and ensuring the long-term sustainability of medical care on Fishers Island, and are deeply grateful to our generous donors who support our efforts.
