Delegated or not
On many Los Angeles County HMO contracts, a delegated IPA handles referrals and prior approval. A hospital medical group usually leaves that job with the plan. UCLA and Facey are only partly delegated, and Kaiser is the plan itself. The specific plan decides that, not the company name on the card. The names are in how a medical group handles referrals. A label is not a plan recommendation.
What is the ZIP list
The medical groups worksheet shows group and IPA names observed in a Los Angeles County ZIP. The map shows where those names sit. A name on the list is a starting point to ask about. It is not proof that your doctor is in that group, and it is not a plan’s network.
What to ask the office
Take the names to the front desk. Ask which medical group this doctor is in this year, which Medicare Advantage plans that group belongs to, and whether your specialists are in that group. The My Medicare Checkup has a line for each answer. Can I keep my doctor? is the decision those answers feed.
Why this comes up in January
People often discover the group problem after a plan starts, including during Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment from January 1 through March 31. That window allows one change if you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan. It does not make a doctor in-network. Confirm the group and the plan on Medicare.gov and with the office before you rely on either.