Adventist Health Ends Santé Contract Feb. 15, Affecting 2,600 in Fresno, Kings

Adventist Health announced it will terminate its contract with Santé Community Physicians, a change set to take effect Feb. 15, 2026, that will disrupt care for roughly 2,600 people in Fresno and Kings counties who access Adventist providers through Santé-managed HMO and network arrangements. The move shifts network relationships from the independent physician association model toward direct insurer-provider ties, a decision Adventist framed as intended to simplify access and strengthen direct insurer relationships.

Santé Community Physicians is an independent physician association that manages provider networks for insurers, connecting doctors and clinics with HMO, Medi-Cal managed care, and some Medicare Advantage plans. Santé leaders said the termination came as a surprise and that the group is willing to negotiate, but without a renewed contract some patients will need to find new in-network primary care providers or risk facing out-of-network charges.

The immediate impact will be most acute for patients on HMO plans and for Medi-Cal and Medicare Advantage enrollees whose coverage is tied to Santé networks. Those patients typically must use in-network providers to avoid higher costs, and changing networks can mean longer travel times, delayed appointments, and disruption of established relationships with primary care physicians. Rural residents of the Central Valley, already obliged to travel for specialty care, could face added mileage and time lost from work for routine visits or chronic disease management.

Health equity concerns are central to the disruption. Low-income residents, elderly patients on fixed incomes, and people receiving complex ongoing treatments can be least able to absorb sudden changes in provider access. The announcement includes continuity-of-care protections for patients undergoing active, complex treatments, allowing them to continue with necessary care while options are arranged. Details about how long those protections last and which services qualify should be clarified by insurers and providers, and patients are being advised to contact their health plan or primary care office immediately.

The termination reflects broader trends in health care contracting, where organizations reassess network structures to streamline administration or reduce costs. For county public health officials and community clinics, the change raises concerns about capacity if patients shift to already strained safety-net providers. Kings and Fresno counties serve diverse populations with significant Medi-Cal enrollment, and sudden network changes can compound existing access issues.

For now, Santé leaders say they are open to talks and Adventist says the change is meant to simplify patient access. Affected patients should check communications from their insurer, confirm whether their current provider remains in-network after Feb. 15, and ask about continuity-of-care provisions if they are receiving ongoing treatment. How negotiations proceed and how quickly insurers can reassign or expand networks will determine whether this becomes a brief disruption or a longer-term access challenge for Valley residents.