Healthcare Insights

Top 15 independent practice physician groups by number of physicians

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, an independent physician association (IPA) is a business entity organized and owned by a network of independent physician practices for the purpose of reducing overhead or pursuing business ventures such as contracts with employers, accountable care organizations (ACO) and/or managed care organizations (MCOs).

IPAs are a type of physician group, collectives of physicians—or occasionally individual physicians—acting as an organization to deliver care, usually with a focus on a particular specialty. Definitive Healthcare tracks more than 126,000 physician groups in the U.S., with membership ranging from a single doctor to over 11,000 care professionals.

We’ve compiled a list of the largest IPAs in the U.S. Read on to see which groups have the most member physicians.

15 largest independent physician associations

Explore dataset

Rank	Physician group name	Definitive ID	City	State	# of physicians	Explore dataset
1	HealthCare Partners IPA	92755	Garden City	NY	5,042	Explore
2	U.S. Anesthesia Partners	552756	Fort Lauderdale	FL	3,695	Explore
3	Hill Physicians Medical Group	550737	Walnut Creek	CA	3,586	Explore
4	Renaissance Physician Organization	552341	Houston	TX	1,387	Explore
5	Apogee Physicians	955099	Scottsdale	AZ	1,073	Explore
6	Upland Medical Group	552023	Chino	CA	893	Explore
7	Answer Health	585475	Grand Rapids	MI	842	Explore
8	IPA of Nassau & Suffolk Counties	552273	Commack	NY	719	Explore
9	Oakland Southfield Physicians	585473	Southfield	MI	672	Explore
10	Santa Clara County IPA (AKA SCCIPA)	550734	San Mateo	CA	589	Explore
11	Seoul Medical Group	551964	Long Beach	CA	570	Explore
12	Physicians Medical Group of San Jose	907136	San Jose	CA	558	Explore
13	Central Ohio Primary Care	956285	Westerville	OH	491	Explore
14	Advocare Doctors	956180	Marlton	NJ	434	Explore
15	Spectrum Healthcare Partners	551050	South Portland	ME	433	Explore

Fig. 1 Data is from the Definitive Healthcare PhysicianGroupView product. Data is sourced from Definitive Healthcare’s proprietary research and CMS Physicians Compare. Data accurate as of July 2022.

Which independent practice groups are the largest?

HealthCare Partners IPA based in Garden City, New York tops our list of independent practice groups, with 5,042 physicians among its ranks.

U.S. Anesthesia Partners of Fort Lauderdale, Florida comes in second place with 3,695 physicians, while Hill Physicians Medical Group of Walnut Creek, California takes third with 3,586 physicians.

Generally speaking, larger practice groups are more likely to have the financial resources necessary to support routine business functions, administration and care services. Plus, larger groups usually maintain larger patient bases, providing a more stable income stream and a greater tolerance for financial risk.

Aside from the financial benefits they offer, physicians may be attracted to larger practice groups for potential work-life balance benefits—especially as burnout rates rise following COVID-19. The greater number of physicians in a group, the more comprehensive coverage that group can provide without stretching its members’ availability thin.

What is the difference between an IPA and an accountable care organization (ACO)?

IPAs and ACOs are similar in that they’re both networks of providers who collaborate to deliver coordinated care within a specific patient population. However, the two models are different in important ways.

ACOs are specifically designated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) under the Medicare Shared Savings Program to incentivize greater coordination in value-based care. ACO members are awarded with greater reimbursements when their organization demonstrates improved patient outcomes and reduced care costs.

IPAs, on the other hand, are formed by its members to share financial, technological and staffing resources, and to improve members’ bargaining power with employers and other organizations.

An IPA is owned and operated by a network of independent physician practices, while an ACO can comprise doctors, hospitals and other healthcare providers. An IPA—or its individual members—may opt to join an ACO or negotiate with one to secure resources or implement system-wide improvements.

Learn more

Healthcare Insights are developed with healthcare commercial intelligence from the Definitive Healthcare platform. Want even more insights? Start a free trial today and get access to the latest healthcare commercial intelligence on hospitals, physician groups, ACOs and other providers.