The Michigan State Medical Society and its partners are proud to announce the formation of the Executive Council of Physician Organizations, an entity to advance quality improvement, clinical transformation and patient engagement in ways that maintain the sustainability of independent physician practice.

"The business of medical practice was always difficult, but it has become more complex as physicians face changes in payment models and automation from paper to electronic systems," said Julie L. Novak, CEO of the Michigan State Medical Society. "MSMS believes by working together with our partners on the Executive Council of Physician Organizations we will create a health care environment that allows physicians to focus on providing the best possible care to their patients."

The Executive Council of Physicians Organizations will provide a forum for like-minded leaders to develop common strategies and identify solutions to improve quality, increase resource stewardship and accountability, engage patients in their care and enhance the physician-patient relationship. All actions of the Executive Council will be guided by the following four principles:

1. Independent, private practice should always remain a viable and sustainable practice option for physicians.
2. Physicians should always have the autonomy to choose the practice model of their choice, including employment arrangements and affiliation agreements.
3. Physicians are the most qualified to make decisions about clinical quality and the best positioned to identify clinical process improvements or efficiencies.
4. Physicians should always have the right to own or otherwise access all their clinical performance data, including actionable information on quality, cost and patient satisfaction.

Based on these principles, the Executive Council of Physician Organizations has identified two top priorities for immediate action - the alignment of common fee-for-value metrics across all-payer, all-patient initiatives and the optimization of health information technology or health data exchange infrastructure design. MSMS and its physician organization partners will advocate a unified message for these priorities to all stakeholders, including government and regulatory agencies, hospitals, health plans, payers and patients.

The Executive Council of Physician Organizations partners include the Greater Macomb PHO (Clinton Township), Huron Valley Physician Association (Ann Arbor), Northern Physician Organization (Traverse City), Oakland Southfield Physicians (Southfield), Physician Healthcare Network (Fort Gratiot), Wayne State University Physician Group (Detroit), and West Michigan Physician Network (Grand Rapids).

For more information about the Executive Council of Physician Organizations, including how to join, contact Joe Neller, MSMS Director of Integrated Physician Advocacy, at 517-336-5775 or email at jneller@msms.org.