As you are aware, healthcare in the United States has undergone tremendous change in the last few years as a result of increased penetration of managed care. During the last seven years in South Florida we have dealt with managed care in an interesting and I believe, successful way by forming an Independent Practice Association (IPA).

The purpose of this letter is to acquaint you with our plan to form a nationwide Independent Practice Association (IPA) that is composed primarily of Alumni from the Harvard Training Program, including residents, fellows and their associates. It is my belief that such an organization would become the first and leading "brand name" in Orthopaedic Surgery nationwide. If you had the opportunity to attend the Osgood Lectures in 1996, you may have heard my talk about this upcoming organization. Planning has continued and we are now ready to proceed with the organizational structure. It is the intent of this national Orthopaedic IPA to bring together independent practices under a single negotiating and contracting body. We would then represent the practices primarily to large self insured employers and secondarily to larger insurance companies.

As background to this enterprise, I set up an Independent Practice Association seven years ago in South Florida which currently consists of 170 Orthopaedic surgeons and 70 Physical Therapy Facilities in order to assume the musculoskeletal risk in capitated contracts. This concept has slowly made its way across the United States but has not taken on any organized structure. Our new national IPA would meet this demand.

The aim of this organization will be to increase market share of the enrolled physicians. I believe the key element that Harvard alumni will be able to bring to the table is excellence in healthcare. In spite of the changes in healthcare and reimbursement, there is no doubt in my mind that quality is the most important issue. The key to success will be our ability to bring quality to the forefront in both patients’ and payers’ minds so that we are differentiated from other entities in the market place.

In addition, there will be an opportunity for all physicians within the organization to share information. In South Florida, we have developed an Information Exchange Package which allows for interaction between individual physician’s billing software and a larger data base. This provides access to significantly better information than that which would be ordinarily available through one’s own reporting package. It also serves as a useful marketing tool and valuable cost containment system (check out the web site of our sister company, Rocket Science Consulting).

We feel by offering both self-insured employers and insurance companies, a high quality, cost effective healthcare system, H.ortho.com will quickly become the first brand name in Orthopaedic Surgery. There is of course no cost to join the IPA. It will be funded only by contracts it obtains, and it will be nonexclusive so you may continue to be a member of any other IPA. Consider joining us in this journey into the future.

We will be relying on the expertise of many of you through steering committees for the organization. We hope that many of you will be willing to serve on committees that will include Occupational Medicine, Education, Sports Medicine, Joint Replacement, Tumor, Spine, Hand and Upper Extremity, and Trauma.

Enclosed you will find an information and contact form which we would appreciate you completing. Please return at the address shown, or email us by visiting our web site at www.H-ortho.com.. If you should have any questions, please do not hesitate to call either Judy Vaughan or myself at 1-888-791-8909.

We look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

Richard E. Strain, Jr., M.D.
MGH East Chief Resident July - December 1980

To find out more about our organization, how it can help your practice or business, or to register with H-Ortho, please mail, fax, or email your:

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H-Ortho Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Richard Strain

Graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Chief resident, orthopedics, Massachusetts General Hospital. President, South Florida Orthopedic Care, Inc.