Clinics without walls. Alternative practice structures for physicians in independent practice.

Clinics Without Walls will function as integrated medical practice business organizations for the purpose of carrying out ventures approved by their boards of directors, including the delivery of patient care services under contract to managed care organizations or others. The networks will be responsible for receiving revenue for contracted services and for paying expenses. Patient care should be enhanced by this structure, which will result in improved communications and information exchange among participating physicians and greater patient access to convenient, decentralized medical facilities. Patients and physicians will likely benefit from the expanded services made available through shared network resources. As mentioned above, the MMA and the Hennepin and Ramsey county medical societies are currently developing a detailed Clinics Without Walls prototype that will be made available for implementation during the first half of 1993.