Bringing Physicians Together

Launch of Health Excel Marks a New Direction for Independent Physicians and the Future of Medicine

What does the future of medicine look like? How will independent physicians shape their destiny and influence the unfolding future of healthcare in a marketplace buffeted by often sharply competing interests, massive regulations, radical new healthcare technologies, and profound institutional ambiguity about the physician-patient relationship?

San Diego County-based independent physician associations (IPAs) have joined forces to create a new administrative organization with the goal of providing enhanced healthcare services to patients and payers. The new entity, called Health Excel, counts more than 1,550 independent physicians as members, making it one of the largest independent organizations in San Diego County. Virtually every medical specialty will be represented by Health Excel doctors.

“Health Excel is a concept of giving voice to physicians,” said Health Excel Board Chairman Pushpendu Banerjee, MD. “Doctors aren’t involved in the business side of medicine, and they should be. Health Excel gives doctors a voice on the business side, which will enable them to control costs, better align care with patient needs, serve patients proactively and improve outcomes.”

Health Excel is structured as an organization of organizations — A for-profit administrative entity designed to bring autonomous independent physician groups together in a common alliance and an Independent Physician IPA. Each aligned IPA will still function independently while also being able to participate in a collaborative environment with fellow physicians.

Calling Health Excel the “future of independent medical practice,” Sounhein states the focus of the alliance is to give independent physicians the ability to share best clinical practices with other physicians and create a more collaborative environment than what currently exists. The alliance will also seek to provide lower malpractice rates, reduced costs for physician health insurance, and technology to allow sharing of data between disparate EHR vendors.

The formation of Health Excel creates the opportunity for the more than 4,000 independent physicians in the greater San Diego area to share information and best practices.

“The time is right,” Health Excel's Pushpendu Banerjee said. “We must return accountability and responsibility to the physician. Health Excel is that opportunity.”