Management Services Organization (MSO)

[GatorCHOMPions]

I am a current fellow just beginning to search for jobs, primarily in the northeast and southeast. I came across a job that was advertised as a private practice, but upon further talking with them it turns out they work "alongside" an MSO. I was unfamiliar with this setup until speaking with them so I wanted to get anyone's opinions or experiences working in this setup. From what this practice told me, the MSO handles all the admin stuff like billing, hiring/firing, maintenance of equipment, etc. Of course they take a cut off the top, how much I am not sure of at this point in talking with them. The general pay structure seems to be completely based off of collections.

The practice "owner" I spoke with told me they want to hand the reigns over to me within a year of me starting because they want to retire. They seem to have a lot of opioid patients based on our limited discussions. Is there any out for me to not take over his opioid patients, or perhaps give them something like one last three month script and then tell them to look elsewhere? Would this create issues with patient abandonment, or risk angering the MSO? Do I care if the MSO gets angry?

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[RoloTomassi]

Understand the MSO-practice agreement better. No issues with abandonment if you do it right. You're the doc, every doc can practice their way within the range of standard of care.

 

[ziggyziggy]

I am a current fellow just beginning to search for jobs, primarily in the northeast and southeast. I came across a job that was advertised as a private practice, but upon further talking with them it turns out they work "alongside" an MSO. I was unfamiliar with this setup until speaking with them so I wanted to get anyone's opinions or experiences working in this setup. From what this practice told me, the MSO handles all the admin stuff like billing, hiring/firing, maintenance of equipment, etc. Of course they take a cut off the top, how much I am not sure of at this point in talking with them. The general pay structure seems to be completely based off of collections.

The practice "owner" I spoke with told me they want to hand the reigns over to me within a year of me starting because they want to retire. They seem to have a lot of opioid patients based on our limited discussions. Is there any out for me to not take over his opioid patients, or perhaps give them something like one last three month script and then tell them to look elsewhere? Would this create issues with patient abandonment, or risk angering the MSO? Do I care if the MSO gets angry?

Why can't the previous owner do one last three month script and then tell them to look elsewhere? The other question is what will you be getting as you mentioned majority are opioid and what will be your "buy-in" worth?

 

[SSdoc33]

so they want to just "give" the practice over to a fellow who they don't even know yet?

where do i sign up?

 

[RoloTomassi]

Yeah if it's really an ownership transfer you need to vet it like you're buying it. Balance sheets, profit loss statements. Don't want someone trying to dump a debt ridden practice on you

 

[GatorCHOMPions]

The points you all are bringing up are exactly what was running through my head, but I am very inexperienced in what to look out for exactly, and I had never even heard of an MSO before this. Thanks to those for discussing thus far and hope others can chime in as well.

 

[GatorCHOMPions]

Why can't the previous owner do one last three month script and then tell them to look elsewhere?

Is there a reason I can't ask the current owner to do this upon retirement?

 

[SSdoc33]

Is there a reason I can't ask the current owner to do this upon retirement?

1. b/c they wont hire you
2. b/c they will say they will do that and then won't

basically, they will try to scr#w you any way possible. best advice i can give is to avoid opioid-heavy practice, and do your due diligence from a contract/legal perspective

 

[Ducttape]

probably better to open your own practice in this area.

might be tough pickings for a year, but when he retires, you will have tons of patients, and you can tell them how you will treat them, and not have the specter of the prior guy and you being part of his clinic hanging over your head...