MDNC

"For physicians to have information and share information is very important, and that's an expensive proposition for them," says Vogel in explaining the aggressive IS outreach of MDNC statewide.

Practice management was MDNC's first IS service offering.

Now, less than two years into its development as a statewide operation, 3,000 physicians statewide receive services, including practice management IS services, from MDNC. The market need for this kind of entity is very clear in a state like North Carolina, where, Vogel points out, "We have lots of one-physician practices, and the majority of practices are three- and four-doctor groups," though their largest client has 70 members.

In terms of core practice management services offered, says Chris Uthe, MDNC's director of centralized billing services, the company offers "a range of services from the most generic appointment scheduling to the most complex electronic referral systems, encompassing referral in and referral out, referral to specialists and subspecialists, and tracking of referrals and costs under capitation and fee-for-service." Using their system, physicians can "download eligibility information from various payers," which is a big plus, Uthe says.