BINGHAM FARMS, Mich., May 19 /PRNewswire/ -- United Physicians announced the registration of its trademark, PPO Lite - Economic Accountability in Health Care, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The mark was registered April 20, 2004.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040519/DEW005LOGO )
PPO Lite is a medical management process that combines traditional medical management and review with physician monitoring and education. The methodology takes the lessons learned in the HMO “risk” environment and applies them to the Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) environment, which has generally been unmanaged. Currently the methodology is in practice for United Physicians’ network of Beaumont physicians in three local PPOs.
United Physicians developed the PPO Lite methodology through efforts to ensure that its physician network was accountable for, and cognizant of, the costs of care provided to patients, as well as accountable for the quality of that care. Those paying for health care, employers, health plans and consumers, are putting increasing pressure on physicians to cut costs. United Physicians’ use of PPO Lite impacts physician costs within its network. Comparing fee schedule adjusted physician costs in 2002 to 2003, United Physicians has been able to lower in-network physician costs per patient by over 4% in the PPO environment.
United Physicians believes that doctors should be the key party responsible for identifying appropriate care. This puts physicians in a position of having to become concerned with the economic, as well as medical, aspects of health care. PPO Lite is used to ensure that quality care is delivered in a cost-effective environment and that patient satisfaction is maintained.
“PPO Lite is what we are all about": said Frank DeLaura, Chief Operating Officer at United Physicians, “making sure that the right care is delivered in the right setting and that the physicians are responsible for holding the system accountable.”
About United Physicians, P.C. http://www.unitedphysiciansgroup.com/
United Physicians is the organization of physicians on staff at William Beaumont Hospital. The physician organization advocates for its shareholders by negotiating and facilitating participation in risk and non-risk health care plans. United Physicians believes that physicians are the key to improving the quality and economic viability of the health care industry. United Physicians serves the professional and economic interests of its shareholders by providing services that enable physicians to focus attention on the performance of high quality medicine in a cost-effective fashion. United Physicians and its wholly owned subsidiary, Premier Physicians Network, negotiate contracts with health plans. United Physicians also facilitates credentialing with payers, assists in practice management, optimizes resource utilization of provider services, and looks for opportunities that merge service with financial benefit.
United Physicians is one of only five organizations nationwide to receive certification in multiple categories and is the first physician organization in the Tri-County/Metropolitan Detroit area (Wayne, Oakland and Macomb) to receive certification by NCQA in any category. The National Committee for Quality Assurance is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to measuring the quality of America’s health care. NCQA surveys are rigorous on- and off-site evaluations conducted by a team of physicians and managed care experts. A national oversight committee of physicians analyzes the team’s findings and determines certification based on the PO’s performance compared to NCQA standards. United Physicians is certified for Credentialing and Recredentialing for the period December 10, 2002 through December 10, 2004. United Physicians is certified for Utilization Management for the period October 13, 2003 through October 13, 2005.
Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040519/DEW005LOGOPRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.comUnited Physicians
CONTACT: Steven D. Grant, M.D., F.A.C.P., President, +1-248-593-0102,sgrant@unitedphysiciansgroup.com , or Rachel Bloodworth, Marketing Manager,+1-248-593-0263, rbloodworth@unitedphysiciansgroup.com , both of UnitedPhysicians
Web site: http://www.unitedphysiciansgroup.com/
