Optima Health has exciting news regarding health maintenance organization (HMO) and point-of-service (POS) plan members:

As of January 1, 2009, referrals to see a participating specialist are no longer required.

Members will still need to select a primary care physician (PCP) to coordinate their care and guide their decisions but they will be allowed to seek care from participating specialists without a referral.

New Optima ID cards for affected members will display the words “No Referral Required” to make it clear that their plan is now referral-less.