What is University of Iowa Physicians?
UI Physicians is a faculty multi-specialty group practice of the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine (CCOM) created by a change in the bylaws of the former Faculty Practice Plan.
Who is a member of the UI Physicians?
Everyone who was a member of the Faculty Practice Plan is now a member of UI Physicians. No one has been added and no one has been excluded. Every faculty of CCOM becomes a member by the fact of his appointment with the CCOM and licensing in Iowa.
Why was UI Physicians created?
UI Physicians was created to restructure the UI faculty group practice organization in order to allow: a) the faculty to be more involved in the governance and management of their business affairs; and b) the group practice to be more responsive to changes in the health care marketplace in which it operates.
Will the creation of UI Physicians change the way clinicians are compensated?
The change does not affect how compensation plans are developed and implemented.
How did the creation of UI Physicians come about?
UI Physicians was created by a process, in which the practice plan board, consisting of all chairs of the clinical departments and six at-large faculty members approved the changes that were then voted on by the faculty. Following faculty approval, the Dean of the CCOM and the President of The University of Iowa approved the changes.
What are the major differences between the Faculty Practice Plan and UI Physicians?
UI Physicians envisions a broader involvement of faculty and chairs into the governance of the practice plan. UI Physicians is a practice moving toward a fully integrated multi-specialty group format for the best possible efficiency of care. UI Physicians stimulates the departments to work in a more coordinated, seamless fashion. It is a structure that helps faculty physicians exert more control over their practice. Through UI Physicians the faculty physicians are going to have a unified voice. The goal is to create a more cohesive group with the ability to act more aggressively in negotiating contracts and speaking out on issues that faculty physicians haven’t been effectively involved with in the past, thus, increasing efficiency and productivity.
How is UI Physicians governed?
The Board of Directors governs UI Physicians using a committee structure consisting of the following committees:
Executive Committee: chaired by the UI Physicians Chair (or the Vice Chair in the absence of the Chair) and including the Secretary and three other committee chairs (Finance, Practice Management and New Initiatives & Marketing).
Finance Committee: responsible for reviewing and making recommendations to the Board regarding UI Physicians financial statements, balance sheets, billing, collections, revenue cycle, managed care contracting, and long-term capital plans,
Practice Management Committee: responsible for reviewing and making recommendations to the Board concerning departmental compensation plans, clinic management, clinic personnel, multi-disciplinary clinics, new clinical practice proposals, improved utilization of resources, improvements in clinical performance, setting guidelines for and measuring outcomes of care.
Marketing & New Initiatives Committee: responsible for reviewing and making recommendations to the Board concerning proposals for off-site clinical practice, advertising, outreach, and contracting.
Compliance, Credentialing & Malpractice Committee: makes recommendations to the Board concerning malpractice insurance and self insurance premiums to be assessed to individual departments, issues regarding individual cases that are going through the malpractice review process, new and existing regulations regarding compliance and credentialing.
Nominating Committee: recommends names for appointment to vacancies on the Board and/or the committees. Includes the Vice Chair and Secretary of the Board, and the chairs of the Finance, Practice Management, and Marketing & New Initiatives Committees. The Vice Chair of the Board serves as Chair of the Nominating Committee.
Why is University of Iowa Physicians governed that way?
The purpose of structuring the governance in this way is to allow and encourage greater faculty participation in their clinical business affairs. By creating committees charged with oversight of the business aspects of the faculty group practice, UI Physicians focuses its attention on important issues affecting the business climate. Those committees will then research the issues, create reports for UI Physicians as a whole, and put forth recommendations to be considered by the Board.
Will other committees be formed?
The number and responsibilities of the standing committees may change according to the needs of the Board. The UI Physicians Board has the authority to determine if a current standing committee should continue its activity or not and if a new committee or committees are needed.
