Introducing ProPractice

Monday, March 20, 2017 12:32 PM

El Paso County Medical Society launches full-service program for practices’ nonclinical needs

by Mike Ware, Chief Executive Officer, EPCMS

America’s health care system is stacked against physicians, who are working more hours, yet seeing fewer patients. They’re struggling to keep up with the pace of new regulations. Practices are challenged financially, not because they aren’t providing good care, but because of a health care financing system that doesn’t value them. To help address this dilemma, the El Paso County Medical Society (EPCMS) recently expanded to become a full-service adjunct to provide nonclinical services to physician practices.

When our physicians suffer, our communities suffer. While we were providing continuing education, and opportunities to connect with colleagues and discounts, we still saw physicians being pulled away from treating patients – the activity that gives them the most professional satisfaction. EPCMS wanted to do more to help its members be successful physicians. Now working within its newly created brand – ProPractice: Practice Made Perfect – EPCMS has set a path to become the national model for a modern medical society.

Why create ProPractice?
Medical societies have been around since our nation was founded; EPCMS was formed in 1879. Since that time our mission has stayed the same: helping physicians so they can help patients. This will never change.

Two years ago when we set out to make Colorado Springs the best place in America to practice medicine and receive medical care, we knew we had the right team, an amazing community and great physicians.

Our path to becoming the national model was transformative. We became more than a medical society; we became a key component of providing day-to-day solutions for physicians and their practices. 

There are three parts to ProPractice:

1. Our professional association, the El Paso County Medical Society

We are still a membership organization, and our traditional medical society role will function as EPCMS. Under the EPCMS brand, we’ll keep offering continuing education, collegiality and training through our Physician Connection, New Realities and Office Managers Association programs.

Through the EPCMS Foundation, we’ll continue helping our community through disaster response programs like the Medical Reserve Corps of El Paso County and the Southern Colorado Health Care Coalition, and continue building top-tier physicians by funding scholarships through the University of Colorado School of Medicine - Colorado Springs Branch.

2. National expertise for your practice

We have recruited top-level expertise with individuals whose résumés include national and international clinical and nonclinical work. Our in-house team has helped nearly 275 physicians and their practices since launching our Practice Renewal Service in fall 2015. Physicians and their practices will now be able to access our specialists’ knowledge at a price that won’t break their budget.

3. Products and services exclusively for ProPractice/EPCMS members

Through ProPractice, we’re building a suite of services that medical practices can use to remove administrative hassles. Most of these services are offered in-house by ProPractice/EPCMS employees, such as the credentials verification service that physicians are using to obtain hospital privileges.

Through our online OSHA training, practices can ensure their staff is properly trained. By moving this training online, including the testing and certification, employees can access the training at times that work with their daily schedules, and without compromising time with patients.

A number of additional products and services are in development. Insurance credentialing and enrollment services, as well as contract negotiation, coding, billing and administering a practice’s human resources program are the first of many solutions to the problems facing the average physician practice.

Same mission, enhanced services
Throughout our 138-year history, EPCMS has remained steadfast to our mission – helping physicians so they can help patients. By creating ProPractice, we’re doing more to meet that mission.

By working together through ProPractice, we’ll extend to physicians and their practices the services and benefits to level the field of medicine, putting physicians back in charge and giving them a Practice Made Perfect.