About BayCare Health System
BayCare Health System is the largest health system in the Tampa Bay region and one of the largest
in Florida, operating 16 hospitals across Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, and Polk counties.
Major facilities include St. Joseph’s Hospital, Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater,
Mease Countryside Hospital, Winter Haven Hospital, and St. Anthony’s Hospital in
St. Petersburg. BayCare also operates a broad network of urgent care centers, imaging centers,
and physician practices across the region.
Which Plans Include BayCare?
BayCare participates in networks for most major commercial carriers in the Tampa Bay market,
including Florida Blue (BCBS of Florida), Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, and Humana.
However, as the market’s dominant system, BayCare has negotiated selectively with
some narrow-network and marketplace plan products — not every plan from every carrier
includes every BayCare facility.
Florida Blue (the dominant insurer in Florida) includes BayCare in most of its PPO and
HMO products in the Tampa Bay market. Blue Select, Blue Care HMO, and BlueOptions PPO
plans all commonly list BayCare facilities as in-network, though you should always verify
the specific campus and provider.
BayCare vs. AdventHealth Tampa: Which Plans Cover Both?
BayCare and AdventHealth Tampa are the two major competing systems in the Tampa Bay area.
Most broad PPO plans include both. Narrow-network HMO products often route patients to
one system or the other. If you want flexibility between both — for example, you
have a cardiologist at St. Joseph’s (BayCare) but an orthopedist at AdventHealth
Tampa — a PPO is the safest choice.
BayCare Urgent Care and Insurance
BayCare operates numerous urgent care locations throughout Hillsborough, Pinellas, and
Pasco counties under the BayCare Urgent Care brand. These are in-network on most plans
that include BayCare as a system, but urgent care cost-sharing (copay vs. deductible)
can differ from hospital cost-sharing on the same plan — confirm before your visit.
How to Verify BayCare Network Status
- Call BayCare’s Patient Financial Services at (855) 314-8346 with your insurance
card to confirm your plan is accepted at the specific facility.
- Use your insurer’s provider directory and search “BayCare” or the
specific hospital name filtered to your plan.
- Call member services on the back of your insurance card and ask about the specific
BayCare facility and any physicians you plan to see.