Physician services management company to bring 500 new jobs to Jacksonville

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry announced Tuesday that a new company is bringing 500 jobs to Jacksonville.

Formativ is a services enterprise founded earlier this month by Northwell Health, New York State’s largest health care provider, and Pamplona Capital Management, a private equity firm.

The company is leasing 65,000 square feet of office space on Belfort Road and will begin training 500 employees for its new Patient Access Services Center in February.

Formativ offers comprehensive management services to assist physician practices, including tailored revenue cycle management solutions, patient access services, physician practice management and advisory services, the company said.

The business allows health system employed physician groups and independent physicians to improve their financial health, adapt to changing risk-based payment models, increase physician productivity and satisfaction, and positively augment patient experiences, according to Formativ officials.

“No one can deny the momentum that is building in Jacksonville, especially in the health and life science sector,” Curry said. “As a company that supports the medical community by making their operations more efficient and productive, Formativ Health will enhance Jacksonville’s presence in this all-important sector of our economy.”

The space being leased by Formativ will encompass four floors in the office complex at 4875 Belfort Road. Curry said build-out will begin immediately and is expected to be completed by mid-2018, but Formativ will begin training staff next month with partial operations slated to begin in April 2017.

"Improving the patient experience is a top priority for all physician practices," Formativ CEO Dennis Dowling said.

"Recognizing that the focus on customer service goes far beyond clinical care, we want to ensure a seamless encounter when patients first call us to make an appointment. The creation of Formativ, an integrated physician management services organization, strengthens that commitment, and we know Jacksonville offers an extraordinary labor force that will enable us to meet our patients' expectations."

Northwell’s 2,700-member physician group, Northwell Health Physician Partners, will be one of more than 400 existing customers of Formativ, which serves more than 5,000 physicians nationwide.

Jacksonville native June Scarlett, chief patient access officer at Formativ Health, will oversee operations at the facility.

“The Formativ contact center will ease the burden on Northwell’s physician practices by removing administrative tasks not associated with delivering care,” Scarlett said. “This Patient Access Services Center will help us meet that promise and allow physicians to focus on their patients. Once fully operational, we will serve nearly 1,200 Northwell physicians.”

“The Jacksonville region has a strong health care market and Formativ Health’s decision to locate a service center here further solidifies our standing as a leader in the health and life sciences industry,” Darnell Smith, JAX Chamber Chair and Florida Blue’s North Florida market president, said. “The hundreds of jobs the company has committed to create will not only put more of our citizens to work, but will also enhance the physician experience and patient care in Northeast Florida.”

Job candidates can visit Formativ’s careers page for more information: www.formativhealth.com/careers

Cox Media Group