The typical IPA encompasses all specialties, but an IPA can be solely for primary care, could be single specialty, or could be a set of other care providers such as psychologists or even providers of social services such as food pantries, homeless shelters, or substance use disorder treatment facilities.
The IPA assembles care providers in self-directed groups within a geographic region to invent and implement health improvement solutions, form collaborative efforts among care providers to implement these programs, and exert political influence upward within the community to effect positive change.
"Messengers," specialists who are selected to represent individual practices, can be used by IPA members to review and discuss coding and compensation with health insurance companies.
These professionals do not collectively bargain and can only do so if the providers have reorganized under a single tax ID number which is not an IPA model.
Additionally, IPAs structured as risk-bearing entities can give interested care providers the ability to participate in risk contracts even if they don't have the administrative staff to coordinate them.