Ohio's largest independent physician groups announced last week plans to join forces in a statewide collaborative for accessible, affordable, high-quality care.
Dubbed the Ohio Independent Collaborative, the organization links more than 400 physicians who collectively provide care for more than 450,000 patients. The new organization is meant to be an alternative to large health system corporations, giving its members access to strategic business benefits, group purchasing opportunities, more efficient care, improved quality and increased savings, among other benefits.
Founding members include the following organizations.
- Community Health Care (Canal Fulton, Ohio).
- Northern Ohio Medical Specialists/NOMS Healthcare (Sandusky, Ohio).
- Pioneer Physicians Network (Akron, Ohio).
- Premier Physicians (Westlake, Ohio).
- Unity Health Network (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio).
"The Ohio Independent Collaborative creates a high-quality new care option in the marketplace for patients, insurance providers and hospitals, allowing our members to develop strategic partnerships that, on their own, they would not be able to develop," Tony Paras, MD, an internist with Premier Physicians, said in a statement. "This Collaborative not only offers a viable option for independent physicians, but encourages their entrepreneurial spirit, and we look forward to sharing the intellectual capital all parties bring to the group."
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