After serving in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, Fernández began his career in the insurance field recognizing an opportunity in packaging health and life insurance. In 1981 he started Group Tech System, the first national database on health insurance quoting programs. It became Comprehensive Benefit Administrators Inc. which he sold to Ramsay HMO which was sold to United Healthcare in 1993, when he was its second-largest shareholder. In 1993, he launched Physician's Healthcare Plans in Tampa. It was sold to AmeriGroup in 2002. In 2005, he sold CarePlus Health Plans, to Humana and founded MBF Healthcare Partners. In 2015 he sold Simply Healthcare Plans to Anthem. He has been the Founder and/or majority shareholder of 25 healthcare related companies. Most of these have been acquired by publicly traded companies. Among them are Physicians Healthcare Plans, CAC Medical Centers, Prescribit Rx, Navarro Pharmacies, Medical Specialties Distributors, Hospitalists of America, ADI Dental, NutriForce, Simply Healthcare Plans, Acorn Health, Affinity Hospice, Strive Dental and Carisk Partners. He is a very prominent philanthropist, who after every sale distributes a large share of the proceeds to the employees that made them happen.