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PrimeCare chief wins national position By BILL KETTLER Mike Bond knows a lot of doctors, and he's probably going to meet a whole lot more over the next two years. Bond heads PrimeCare, an independent physicians association that negotiates contracts for more than 350 Jackson County doctors. He's been elected to lead the board of directors of The IPA Association of America, a national organization that represents about 250,000 physicians across the United States. Independent physicians associations emerged in the late 1970s and early '80s to represent doctors and other health care providers in contract negotiations with health insurance providers. PrimeCare represents Jackson County physicians in negotiations with 25 health insurance companies that do business in Southern Oregon. "Our main purpose is to serve as the interface between the insurance industry and the local medical community," he said. "The less visible we are, the better job we're doing." Bond, 52, said working with IPAs puts him "on the cutting edge of everything that's happening in health care. We are the first line of defense for patient-care quality when new treatments come along or new pharmaceuticals are introduced." He will serve as president-elect of the national board of directors for the balance of the year and become president of the board in February 2002. Bond worked for the National Institutes of Health and the Airline Pilots Association before moving to the Rogue Valley in 1994. He previously served as president of the Oregon IPA Association. He holds master's degrees in industrial psychology and business administration. Bond said IPAs are concerned about the growing number of federal regulations that physicians must heed and the costs of compliance. The Health Information Patient Privacy Act, for example, which was enacted to ensure the confidentiality of patients' medical records, may cost as much as $640 billion to implement. "That's more than Congress is paying down the national debt this year," he said. Bond said Southern Oregon physicians have created a "cooperative and collaborative" medical community that could serve as a model for other communities. "When doctors cooperate and share information freely, that's when the patients will get the best health care." Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.