Seasonal residents: how to keep your healthcare seamless between two homes

Lakewood Ranch Concierge  |  October 9, 2026

Medically reviewed by Leo Kao, MD
Board-certified internal medicine physician

Every fall, thousands of seasonal residents return to Lakewood Ranch and the Sarasota–Manatee area for the winter. Splitting the year between two homes is a great way to live, but it can leave your healthcare split in two as well: records in one state, prescriptions in another, and no doctor who sees the whole picture. Here's how snowbirds can keep their care connected, safe, and simple in both places.

Why care gets fragmented for snowbirds

When you live in two places, it's easy to end up with two sets of doctors who don't talk to each other. Common problems include:

• Lab results and imaging that one doctor can't see
• Medication lists that don't match, or duplicate prescriptions from two prescribers
• Long waits for a new-patient appointment just when you need to be seen
• Urgent care or emergency room visits for problems a primary care doctor could have handled
• Gaps in follow-up for chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart disease

None of these is unavoidable. A little planning before you travel, and a primary care relationship in each location, go a long way.

Before you head south: a checklist

• See your home doctor before you leave. Schedule routine visits, labs, and screenings so you arrive with up-to-date results.
• Get copies of your records. Ask for your recent office notes, lab results, imaging reports, a current medication and allergy list, and your vaccination history. Federal privacy law (HIPAA) gives you the right to request copies of your own medical records.
• Sign up for your patient portals. Online access lets you, and any doctor you authorize, see results from anywhere.
• Carry a one-page health summary. List your diagnoses, medications and doses, allergies, past surgeries, implanted devices, and emergency contacts. Keep a copy on your phone and in your wallet.
• Plan your prescriptions. Ask about 90-day supplies or mail-order delivery, and check with your pharmacy and insurer about filling prescriptions in Florida.
• Bring your advance directives. A health care surrogate designation, living will, or power of attorney should travel with you. Ask an attorney whether your documents meet Florida's requirements.

Prescriptions between two states

Many routine prescriptions can be transferred to a Florida location of a national pharmacy chain or filled by mail-order. Some cannot. Certain medications, including many controlled substances, have stricter rules and may require a new prescription, and sometimes an in-person evaluation, from a clinician licensed where you are. Don't wait until you're down to your last few pills to find out. Talk with your prescriber and pharmacist before you travel.

It also helps to choose one doctor to keep your master medication list. When two prescribers don't know what the other has ordered, the risk of drug interactions and duplicate therapy goes up.

Check how your insurance works in Florida

Coverage away from home varies widely, so confirm the details with your plan before you need care:

• Original Medicare generally covers care from any provider nationwide who accepts Medicare.
• Medicare Advantage and other managed care plans often limit routine coverage outside the plan's local service area to emergency and urgent care. Some plans offer visitor or travel programs. Call the number on your card and ask specifically about care in Manatee and Sarasota counties.
• Commercial insurance varies. Ask whether in-network providers are available in Florida and how out-of-network care is covered.

A concierge or direct primary care membership is not insurance. It covers the services described in your membership agreement. You'll still want insurance for hospital care, specialists, imaging, and other services outside the practice.

Keep chronic conditions on track while you're away

A season in Florida usually means a change in routine: more time outdoors, different meals, more social events, and often more activity. That's generally good for your health, but it can change how your body responds to medication. Blood sugar, blood pressure, and fluid balance may shift in warmer weather. If you manage diabetes, high blood pressure, heart failure, or kidney disease, have a plan for checking your numbers and a doctor nearby who can adjust treatment if needed.

Florida's sun is also stronger than many seasonal residents expect, even in winter. Daily sunscreen, hats, and a regular skin check are worth adding to your routine.

What about telemedicine?

Video visits are a convenient way to stay in touch with a doctor while you travel, but there's an important limit. Physicians are generally required to be licensed in the state where the patient is physically located at the time of the visit. That means your Florida doctor usually can't treat you by telemedicine once you're back home in another state, and your out-of-state doctor may not be able to treat you by video while you're in Florida, unless they hold a license or registration that allows it. Ask each of your doctors what they can and can't do while you're away.

Know where to go for urgent and emergency care

Before you need it, find out where the nearest emergency room, urgent care center, and pharmacy are, and save them in your phone. For any symptoms of a heart attack or stroke, severe shortness of breath, severe bleeding, or another emergency, call 911. For problems that aren't emergencies, having a primary care doctor who can see you the same or next day can save you a long wait and keep your records in one place.

The benefit of a local primary care home

The simplest way to keep care seamless is to have a primary care physician in each place who knows you, and to be the link between them yourself. Bring copies of your records to your Florida doctor so they have your history from day one. Before you head home in the spring, request copies of your Florida visit notes, lab results, and any medication changes to share with your doctor up north. That way nothing falls through the cracks between seasons.

Seasonal resident care at Lakewood Ranch Concierge

Many of our patients split their year between Lakewood Ranch and another home. Our concierge membership is designed around the kind of access seasonal residents need most:

• Direct access to your physician by phone, text, email, and patient portal
• Same-day or next-day appointments for urgent visits
• Unhurried visits to review records from your home doctors and set a plan for the season
• Ongoing chronic care for conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol
• Telemedicine visits while you're in Florida
• Copies of your records on request, so you can share them with your doctors back home

A plan built for seasonal schedules. Our Seasonal MD Plan is a 6-month membership for patients who spend part of the year in Lakewood Ranch. It includes the same services as our MD Plan, such as waived bloodwork draw fees, VO2 max and RMR testing, in-office EKG, and hospital communication. Call the office at (941) 237-0129 for pricing.

The best time to establish care is soon after you arrive, before a problem comes up. Bring your records and medication list to your first visit. See what to expect as a new patient, book an appointment, or call or text (941) 237-0129.