Has your governance agreement been stress tested?

You are one of three physicians who share an office and staff. Over the years you have backed up each other’s practice when one of you is on vacation or sick. Without warning, one of your colleagues is out on medical leave for three months. What will the impact be on his practice and you as members of a FHO?

Under the Family Health Group model, physicians would take on backing up the absent physician’s practice by dealing with urgent labs and INR reports, directing some patients to local walk-in clinics, and providing care to his patients with complex needs. You would be remunerated for patient encounters via fee-for-service and in the case of an extended leave, your colleague may pay you for addressing the paperwork and labs in his absence.  In the FHO, your absent colleague will continue to collect the Base Rate and Comprehensive Care Capitation payments while you may only be collecting the shadow billing for providing care to his/her enrolled patients. How will you be remunerated for your work?

The challenge most FHO’s have with implementing a Governance Agreement is that it speaks to generalities and not specifics.  Take the following example:  a  Governance Agreement will state that when a physician is ill, he or she must “back up the practice”, however the Governance Agreement provides no specifics as to how this should be managed within the FHO.  As a result, FHO physicians may be responsible to provide care for an absent colleague’s patients without being compensated.  To avoid this, there needs to be a comprehensive plan in place should a FHO member become unexpectedly absent long-term.   Primary Care Advisory can help provide practical solutions to ensure there is an effective Governance Agreement in place that works well for the entire group.

Primary Care Advisory works with physician groups to develop a governance agreement that not only addresses the specific needs of your group but will articulate specific solutions for each issue.