Sunshine Health's Medical Director Appointed to Serve on the Florida Telehealth Advisory Council

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Aug 08, 2016, 07:00 ET

SUNRISE, Fla., Aug. 8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Sunshine Health, a subsidiary of Centene Corporation, is pleased to announce the appointment of Ernest Bertha, M.D., Medical Director for Sunshine Health to the Florida Telehealth Advisory Council created in Florida House Bill 7087 and signed into law by Governor Rick Scott in 2016.

Dr. Bertha has practiced medicine for more than 30 years, has held medical licenses in nine states and is Board Certified in Pediatrics and Pediatric Emergency Medicine. Prior to joining Sunshine Health as a Medical Director in 2015, Dr. Bertha was the Medical Director at The Children's Hospital at Palm's West. Throughout his career, Dr. Bertha has practiced medicine via telehealth and has helped craft policies for the appropriate utilization of telehealth and telemedicine.

"It is an honor to be selected to serve as one of the 15 Telehealth Advisory Council members," said Ernest Bertha, M.D., Medical Director for Sunshine Health. "Telehealth is revolutionizing the practice of medicine across the country but Florida is lagging behind other states. I am encouraged by the Florida Legislature's interest in this important tool. I look forward to working with my peers on the Council to improve the patient experience through innovative technology."

The Telehealth Advisory Council will review what telehealth services are currently available and how the services are covered by health insurance, as well as identify the barriers to expanding telehealth in Florida. The Council will compile the recommendations and present a report to the Governor, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by October 31, 2017. For more information about the Telehealth Advisory Council visit, www.ahca.myflorida.com/telehealth.

About Sunshine Health
Sunshine Health is among the largest healthcare plans in Florida. Offering coordinated care and a network of support, Sunshine Health is transforming the health of our community, one person at a time. We are a wholly owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation, a diversified, multi-national healthcare enterprise focusing on under-insured and uninsured individuals. We offer health plan benefits to children and adults who are eligible for Florida Medicaid, those dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid and those eligible for Long Term Care as well as Florida's Health Insurance Marketplace. Additionally, we offer a specialty Medicaid health plan for children in or adopted from Florida's Child Welfare/Foster Care system and two full pay Healthy Kids plans statewide. For more information about Sunshine Health, please visit www.SunshineHealth.com.

SOURCE Sunshine Health