MVMA Physicians Group

**NEWLY UPDATED - OCTOBER 2008**

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Subscription discount available to MVMA physicians for The Medical Letter.

Mohawk Valley Medical Associates is an Independent Practice Association formed in 1983 by Schenectady area physicians. The IPA entered into a partnership with MVP Health Plan to deliver care to their members. As a physician, you are contracted to MVMA to provide medical care to those MVP patients. MVMA, in turn, has a service agreement with MVP Health Plan to provide the physician network in our nine county area.

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MVMA is 100% physician-controlled, with six committees that report to Board of Directors. They are the Finance, Peer Review, Membership, Nominating, and Executive committees as well as the Quality Forum. Each committee consists of participating IPA physicians representing multiple specialties and is updated every year depending upon need and active participation. This committee structure is the basis for the many mandates ultimately approved by the MVMA Board of Directors, such as physician reimbursement, quality review, withhold return, and utilization management initiatives.

Dedicated MVMA employees manage daily activities. These include providing customer service to our physician membership, review of inpatient hospitalizations, out of plan referrals, cases requiring prior approval or precertification, physician profiling, physician appeals, potential quality issues, ongoing maintenance and review of the administrative budget, preparation and processing of information for each committee meeting, and active involvement on MVP committees that require IPA input to make Plan-wide policies, such as the MVP Medical Management Committee and the MVP Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee.

What is MVMA’s connection to MVP and how do I fit in?

MVMA and MVP are two separate organizations, and have maintained a contractual relationship since 1983. MVMA is the oldest and largest IPA affiliated with MVP, with over 100,000 MVP members in the 12-county geographic area. Your contract with MVMA enables you to be part of MVP’s provider network and provide services for MVP members. Those patients identify with you as their “MVP doctor”, but you are actually a MVMA participating physician by contract. Our greatest challenge as an IPA has been educating and reinforcing this with our physicians.

What is the value of the IPA to me?

The Board of Directors and committees are composed entirely of physicians. The IPA leadership performs contract negotiation, evaluates reimbursement levels in a fiscally responsible manner, and provides extensive input into medical management policies, serving as advocates for our physicians. MVMA has created an infrastructure of professionals to provide a direct avenue of communication for our physicians. The MVMA Medical Directors are the key components in the physician-to-physician relationship. Many times, physicians are contacted to discuss options in treatment and educated regarding benefits and policies by the Associate Medical Directors, who are accessible by phone and email as well as personal meetings. They are responsible for the development and enforcement of policies affecting our physicians, UM reviews, reviewing physician credentials, and development of recommendations on issues that are presented to the Board of Directors and subcommittees. Our medical directors take a lead role in quality improvement initiatives that directly effect our physicians in their daily practice, such as asthma education performed in the office setting and judicious use of antibiotics. Our staff conducts personal visits with physicians to discuss clinical profiles and trends in providing care, and responds to reimbursement and policy concerns. We also communicate with you on a monthly basis through the Physician Newsletter that provides you with up to date information affecting you as both an IPA participant and a practicing physician. Our administrative offices are located within the new MVP headquarters in Schenectady , which provides us with a unique ability to work in concert with MVP on issues that require the input of both organizations.

Please take the time to familiarize yourself with the information on this website and contact us should you have any questions.

Also do not hesitate to address any member of the MVMA staff directly with any questions or concerns.