17 Network Hospitals
2 Plans
you’ve brought up a very common and challenging ambiguity: the term "global care" can refer to more than one entity in the healthcare and insurance landscape.
here’s a concise summary and guidance for mapping "global care" as an accepted insurance:
### 1. the two most likely entities
**a. global care medical group ipa inc.**
- what it is: an independent physician association (ipa) based in southern california.
- website/email: most sources point to globalcaremedgroup.com (email domain); some mention globalcaremed.com.
- function: an ipa negotiates with insurance plans and contracts with hospitals/providers, but it is not itself a health insurance plan. it's possible for a provider to be "in-network" with a medical group/ipa, but insurers contract with patients, not ipas.
- in the context of "insurance accepted": typically, a listing of accepted insurance should refer to health plans, not ipas. however, sometimes provider directories (especially in ca) list ipas as coverage entities because patients get assigned an ipa through their insurance.
- likelihood as "insurance accepted": possible, but non-standard; more likely a mis-categorization.
**b. global care international**
- what it is: an insurance provider offering international health insurance (globalcare-international.com).
- context: may be listed by hospitals/systems in cosmopolitan areas or those treating international patients.
- likelihood as "insurance accepted": if the health system serves international clientele, this is plausible.
### 2. other entities
- "global care" also appears as the name of health plans or products from major insurers (cigna, axa, guardian, sagicor, etc.). these are usually labeled more clearly by the major provider's name ("cigna globalcare" or "axa global care"), but some systems might simply write "global care" in their list.
### 3. how to map "global care" in your dataset
**a. verification is key**
- if possible, contact the health system to clarify which "global care" they mean.
- check the context: if their patient population includes international patients, lean toward "global care international" or a major international ins. branded with "global care."
- if the system is in california, especially la/oc/ie, and often refers to medical groups/ipa as accepted "plans," it could be global care medical group ipa. in this case, clarify in your data this is an ipa/medical group, not a health plan.
**b. data mapping recommendations**
- avoid mapping "global care" to a specific insurance product or company without clear evidence.
- document the ambiguity in your dataset (e.g., "global care—multiple entities, see notes").
- if you must pick, note your reasoning (e.g. "based on region, likely global care medical group ipa inc.")
**c. sample data structure for ambiguity**
| name listed | type | notes/assumptions | website (if known) |
|----------------|----------------|------------------------|-------------------------------|
| global care | ambiguous (likely: ipa or int'l insurance) | needs clarification; could refer to global care medical group ipa inc. (in ca) or global care international (international insurance); system does not specify. | globalcaremedgroup.com or globalcare-international.com; see notes |
### 4. bottom line
**do not automatically map "global care" to a specific insurer.** note the ambiguity and, if region/context allows, specify your best estimate with a source or flag for follow-up.
**want further help?**
if you give me (1) the specific health system listing "global care," and (2) its location, i can provide a more targeted recommendation or possibly find confirmation from their website/staff.
**key takeaway:**
without explicit confirmation, "global care" is ambiguous. document the possibility of multiple entities for accuracy in your health plan mapping project.