Which model involves physicians who practice in private offices under contract with the HMO rather than being employees?

Which model involves physicians who practice in private offices under contract with the HMO rather than being employees?

• A. Staff Model
• B. Group Model
• C. Independent Practice Association
• D. Network Model

Answer: (C)

In HMOs, physician integration models differ by whether doctors are employees or independent practitioners. The model that keeps physicians in their private offices while contracting with the HMO is the Independent Practice Association. Here, doctors continue private practice and enter into contracts with the HMO (often through the IPA), with the HMO paying the IPA, which then pays the physicians. This contrasts with models where physicians are employees of the HMO or of a group owned by the HMO, or where care is delivered through a network of various employed and contracted providers. The defining feature is physician autonomy in private practice combined with formal contractual relationships with the HMO.

In HMOs, physician integration models differ by whether doctors are employees or independent practitioners. The model that keeps physicians in their private offices while contracting with the HMO is the Independent Practice Association. Here, doctors continue private practice and enter into contracts with the HMO (often through the IPA), with the HMO paying the IPA, which then pays the physicians. This contrasts with models where physicians are employees of the HMO or of a group owned by the HMO, or where care is delivered through a network of various employed and contracted providers. The defining feature is physician autonomy in private practice combined with formal contractual relationships with the HMO.