PRACTICE MANAGEMENT By Brent Hazelett, MPA, CAE NCAFP Chief Operating Officer
BCBS Announces Enhanced Resources for Independent Family Physicians Managing a practice in North Carolina got significantly more challenging on July 1st with the long-delayed transition to Medicaid Managed Care. Nowhere is this more evident than for those practicing independently. Fortunately, over the past few years several new organizations and initiatives have been developed specifically for small practices (Community Care Physicians Network, Aledade, and others to name a few). Recently, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) announced a new investment that will support independent physicians and help them strengthen their practices. Established as a joint venture, the new entity will provide services to enable physicians to focus more on high-quality, cost-effective patient care while also offering practices the ability to grow more sustainably as value-based care expands. It is no secret that Blue Cross NC is evolving quickly towards value-based payment models and this latest announcement underscores this commitment.
According to Blue Cross NC, the new organization has been developed in collaboration with Deerfield Management Company, a health care investment firm with deep experience strengthening physician practices. The joint venture is the next phase of Blue Cross NC’s ongoing collaboration with providers to make health care better, simpler, and more affordable. The venture will leverage Deerfield’s research and operational capabilities, and its extensive experience investing across all sectors of health care at every stage of development – including key investments and relationships in North Carolina. “Independent physicians in North Carolina have an especially difficult burden when it comes to managing their practices without the resources and scale that come with being part of a larger organization,” said Dr. Tunde Sotunde, Blue Cross NC president and CEO. “We want to empower independent physicians – especially primary care – by offering a new level of support to help them lead their practices in a time of great change in health care. This new organization will fill a void for practices that are independently owned and will help them thrive.” The new venture has been created with the goal to: • Provide infrastructure and support services to reduce administrative burdens and alleviate physician burnout; • Equip physicians with integrated technology solutions to monitor, manage and coordinate patient care effectively; • Share data and insights alongside value-added serSee 'BCBSNC' on Back Cover
Confirm Contact Info for 2022 Dues Invoices It might seem early to be thinking about dues for 2022, but invoices are being prepped now for online payment to begin in late September. Mailed invoices will be sent to primary addresses in October. Payment deadline is January 1, 2022. As a result, it is imperative that your contact information is up to date. We encourage all members to take
a moment to verify all contact information contained in your member record. To do so, please visit aafp.org/ welcomecenter and log into your account. Remember, your username is your email address associated with your member record. You may also call the AAFP at 1-800-274-2237 between 9:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. M-F.
