Gaining PCPs on Orlando Medical News

Gaining PCPs

By: LYNNE JETER

Posted: Tuesday, September 13, 2011 7:24 pm

Dennis Buhring

Physician Associates Takes Proactive Measures to Enhance Access to Care and PCMHs in Central Florida

Between Aug. 1 and Oct. 15, Orlando-based Physician Associates will add 15 primary care physicians (PCPs) and six neighborhood offices across the four-county metro area to enhance access to care and Patient-Centered Medical Homes (PCMH).

The new hires will bring the medical group‘s size to nearly 100 physicians in 22 medical offices, serving roughly 400,000 patients in Central Florida.

“Adding so many physicians at once wasn’t the result of a merger; it wasn’t an acquisition,” said Physician Associates CEO Dennis Buhring. “All are coming to our group from Primary Care Specialists LLC. Over the last six months, 15 of 18 of these physicians decided they wanted to work under Physicians Associates. Four are internists and 11 are family medicine physicians; all have established community medical practices. What I liked so much about the ones coming over is that they’re all like-minded about the way to practice medicine.”

Newest PCPs to join Physician Associates’ medical group:

Michael J. Meares, MD, and Calvin L. Gibson, MD, at 8793 Commodity Circle in Orlando.
Jane Zivalich, MD, Anil Patel, MD, Sandra Stine, MD, Arsenio Mestre, MD, Catherine Frank, MD, and Brett Thomas, DO, at 5540 E. Grant Street, Suite A, in Orlando.
John Bickerton, MD, and Joan Martich, MD, at 3100 S. Conway Road in Orlando.
Christopher Brouillette, MD, at 891 Outer Road in Orlando.
Scott Posgai, MD, at 7479 Conroy Road in Orlando.
Christian Kovats, DO, at 2572 West SR 426, Suite 1040 in Oviedo.
Don Buswell-Charkow, MD, and Tom Wentzell, MD, at 11140 W. Colonial Drive in Ocoee.

The changes are part of Physician Associates’ greater plan to develop a PCMH model of care—to broaden access to primary care while also enhancing care coordination and patient satisfaction and ultimately, improve patients’ health, said Buhring.

Because the transition process will involve integrating into Physician Associates’ system, start dates for the new PCPs into the group will be staggered over a 10-week period.

“It’s going to be difficult because they all had systems; integrating into ours will represent another big change for them,” said Buhring. “When it’s over, everyone will be so much better served.”

Among Physicians Associates’ advantages for its PCPs: fully integrated EHR, contracts with employer groups, strong relationships with major hospital systems, group purchasing, and risk management.

“We use evidence-based medical guidelines and protocols, and provide the support the physician needs to transfer or redo their practice into a PCMH so the doctor simply focuses on medicine,” he said. “The management team helps free up the doctor by providing non-clinical work.”

Uncertainty about changes from healthcare reform, increasingly lower reimbursements, longer hours, and the integration of electronic health records (EHR) have sparked the interest of physicians to explore options, such as joining a hospital staff or a medical group like Physician Associates.

“They’re seeing so many changes in healthcare that many doctors are literally worried about making ends meet,” explained Buhring. “They’re worried about how the PCMH model will change their practice, and the expense of converting from paper to electronic charts. And they’re tired. The average doctor starts the day at 7 o’clock in the morning and is lucky to head home by 7 o’clock at night and doesn’t have much time to read up on all these issues. Maybe they make it to an occasional medical association meeting or catch a conference. Even so, there’s a lot of confusion out there. It becomes very overwhelming at times.”

Because Buhring stays very busy and has a lean staff, most physicians approach Physician Associates to make inquiries. “My ability to canvas the community is rather difficult,” he said. “I’m hoping we’ll continue to grow our practice modestly. I don’t want to grow for growth’s sake, but for a purpose and with providers who are a good fit, who want to remain independent, and understand that quality and cost effectiveness are very important.”

The due diligence process for both parties—the inquiring physician and Physician Associates—takes about four months, Buhring said.

“We don’t want a quick hire,” he explained. “The doctor is an asset we want to have with us for a long time.”

The addition of these physicians and the move to a PCMH model also better positions Physician Associates with the development of ACOs, federal-mandated accountable care organizations that hold PCPs responsible for coordinating the medical needs of their patients throughout the entire medical system and continuum of care.

“This move allows us to stand strong and ready for future healthcare changes, while at the same time ensuring we can continue to practice high-quality, cost-effective and patient-centered medicine in a physician-owned and physician-run group,” said Michael J. Meares, MD, president of Primary Care Specialists LLC. “It is a win-win-win situation—for those of us making this move from Primary Care Specialists, for Physician Associates and most of all, for our patients and community.”