Catholic Health Initiatives creates new MSO to deliver physician-management services

Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) has formed a new management-services organization (MSO) to deliver key business functions and physician-management services under a centralized, national organization across eight divisions.

The new organization, Catholic Health Initiatives Physician Services, will give CHI's more than 2,900 providers access to a centralized model delivering services such as revenue-cycle management, patient referral and scheduling solutions, practice analytics and practice management, among other functions.

Catholic Health Initiatives Physician Services will offer the operational scale and resources to create a sustainable ambulatory environment for successful health care delivery in the communities served by CHI, which is the nation's third-largest faith-based health system.

"Our physician enterprise has experienced tremendous growth over the last 18 months," said T. Clifford Deveny, M.D, CHI's senior vice president, physician services and clinical integration. "This new physician-focused services organization will accommodate our expansion as we implement best operational practices across all markets, incorporating a range of office-management and business services to better support their practices. This enables our providers to concentrate on what matters most to them: quality care for their patients."

To accelerate the development of the physician services organization, CHI has partnered with MedSynergies, Inc., a national leader in developing and operating physician management- services organizations, to provide key services within the MSO. MedSynergies has more than 16 years of experience working with major health systems and physicians to align their operations, increase patient market share and achieve positive financial results. Processing nearly 12 million patient visits a year, MedSynergies handles more than $1 billion in billing and collections for its more than 8,000 providers nationwide.

"This new joint venture with Catholic Health Initiatives demonstrates a shared commitment to deliver the best health care for the patients served by their physicians nationwide," said J.R. Thomas, chief executive officer of MedSynergies. "This relationship will provide services that drive operational and financial results for the physician organization, which positions them for long-term success in a rapidly changing health care landscape."