Independent Physician Association (IPAs)
Physician Organizations (POs)

Independent physician associations (IPAs), also called independent practitioners associations, are separate healthcare business entities “organized and owned by a network of independent physician practices for the purpose of reducing overhead or pursuing business ventures such as contracts with employers, accountable care organizations (ACO) and/or managed care organizations (MCOs).” Independent Physician Associations (IPAs) Definition | AAFP. IPAs can consist of primary and specialty care physicians and provide the benefits of a larger represented group while allowing each physician to retain their independence. Becoming part of an IPA makes it easier to collectively contract with payers, reduce administrative burden, share best practices, and allow physicians the level of autonomy and participation that works best for them and their patients.

IPA’s, although similar to POs, are different as they are recognized as a business entity of organized independent physicians to pursue payer contracts, share best practices, and receive some economies of scale with overhead and other business ventures.

Physician organizations (POs) originated from BCBS of Michigan Health Plan and are predominantly recognized within this market. They support independent medical practices of all sizes, primary and specialty care. POs work collaboratively with health plans and their members to simplify workflows and promote best practices that improve the patient experience, population health measures, lower the cost of care, and achieve optimal health outcomes in health care delivery.

HealthFocus can support IPAs and POs by collecting, consolidating, and analyzing data across many different settings into a single platform. This data aggregation makes it easier to identify gaps in care, opportunities to reduce the cost of care and highlight population health measures. We provide this analysis within an actionable time frame using a format that is easy for providers to understand. Providing a clear and complete picture of patient care helps reduce administrative burden and allows for more informed decision-making from the provider.

HealthFocus also facilitates a shift to value-based contracting where payments can be influenced by the quality of care delivered instead of based solely on the service volume. Our platform is able to track and submit quality data automatically to maximize payer incentive opportunities.