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 entity, called Health Excel, consists of more than 2,000 independent physicians, making it one of the largest independent organizations in San Diego County. Virtually every medical specialty is represented by Health Excel doctors.

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

Health Excel is an Independent Physician Association (IPA) that is focused on bringing independent physician groups together in a common alliance. Each Health Excel Physician is able to participate in a collaborative environment with fellow physicians, with the goal of providing enhanced healthcare services to patients and payers all across San Diego.

Calling Health Excel the “future of independent medical practice,” Tom Sounhein, CEO, 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 also seeks 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 2,000 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.”