Chinese American Independent Practice Association (CAIPA)
中美醫師協會
Increasing Physician Control
Chinese American Independent Practice Association (CAIPA) is a New York State recognized independent practice association managed by members of CAIPA Board of Directors, who are physician-shareholders of the company. CAIPA is a messenger model independent practice association. We do not negotiate fees for our members who are at all times free to accept or reject any offer made by a managed care organization through CAIPA. Members enjoy up to 30% increase of reimbursement with payers in government lines of business.
Cost Effective Quality Care
CAIPA understands its responsibility to organize and manage medical delivery system for the Chinese communities in the City of New York. CAIPA carefully selects highly qualified physicians to its membership because it recognizes that the most influential factor for patients’ choosing of a particular health plan is whether their doctors belong in the plan. CAIPA physician-members consistently provide efficient and high-quality care, and are contributing for the betterment of the communities that we serve.
Working Together for the Betterment of Our Community
CAIPA has over 15 contracts in Medicare, Medicaid Plus, and Commercial lines with various national and regional payers. CAIPA has Medicare risk-shared contracts with multiple payers, covering about 300,000 lives in New York City.
CAIPA membership is distributed throughout the City, except in the Bronx; with Manhattan having the largest membership, followed by Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island. Each CAIPA member is an equal share-valued shareholder of the company. CAIPA members elected 13 of their colleague-members to serve on the CAIPA Board of Directors. The members of the Board of Directors are volunteers, who received no compensation for their services to the membership.
The Board is represented by two-third primary care physicians and one-third specialists. One board seat is designated for a pediatrician and one is designated for an obstetrics-gynecologist. Each member of the Board serves a 3-year term with no limit to the number of terms one can serve.
CAIPA has about 600 members and affiliated professionals. CAIPA members are shareholders of the company, of whom 60% are primary care physicians and 40% are specialists. In 2005, CAIPA expanded its network to include Affiliated Professionals. The Affiliates are healthcare professionals who serve and support the CAIPA network providers. Their specialties include but are not limited to, acupuncture, audiology, podiatry, speech pathology, physical therapy, chiropractic, dietician, and dentistry. CAIPA currently has about 100 affiliated professionals and the number is growing rapidly.
CAMS-CAIPA Community Service Fund
CAMS-CAIPA Community Service Fund is mainly sponsored by CAIPA physician-members through donation from a percentage of surpluses that they earned from risk-shared contracts with managed care organizations. A five-member CAMS-CAIPA Community Service Committee administers the Fund by reviewing, approving, and issuing grants.
The Fund is intended to encourage the development and improvement of existing, culturally competent, community-oriented service programs, research and educational projects. Grantees shall participate in activities directly benefiting the New York Chinese population, and they will be required to track data to permit evaluation of the projects funded by the Committee.
Annual grant review deadlines are March 31st for the Spring and September 30th for the Fall. The Fund also supports local organizations in their annual fundraising efforts. The following organizations and many more have received supports from the Fund:
- American Cancer Society, Eastern Division Chinese Unit
- New York Downtown Hospital
- Charles B. Wang Community Health Center
- St. Vincent’s Hospital Manhattan
- Beth Israel Medical Center
- Homecrest Senior Center
- Tzu Chi Foundation
Please log on to www.camsociety.org for research related grant submission guideline.
CAIPA Membership
- Membership by Invitation Only and it consists of Members & Affiliated Professionals.
- Applicant must be a NYS licensed physician or ancillary heath care provider who has an independent clinical practice serving the Chinese communities in the City of New York.
- Applicant applying to become a member of CAIPA also must be a member of the Chinese American Medical Society (CAMS).
- Primary Care applicant can be either Board Certified or Board Eligible.
- Specialty applicant must be Board Certified.
- Affiliated Professional applicant must be have certification or licensure from the State of New York
- Applicant must have bi-lingual language skills with demonstrated ability to directly communicate with patients of the Chinese communities.
- Applicant needs to submit two letters of Recommendation. One of the letters from the Chairperson of the Department of the Institution with which the applicant is affiliated, and the other by any CAIPA member.
Contact
Manhattan Office
41 Elizabeth Street #600 New York, NY 10013
Brooklyn Office
5318 7th Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11220
Tel: 212-965-9888
Fax: 212-965-1876
General Inquiry: [email protected]