Overview of Patient Care Services

Faculty Practice Plan
The Faculty Practice Plan is a multidisciplinary group practice of the Medical School faculty, providing primary, secondary and tertiary services. The clinical faculty of more than 600 physicians, representing 17 clinical departments of the Medical School, provides full inpatient and outpatient services, not only through the group practice, but also through affiliations with several Texas Medical Center hospitals and institutions.

UT Physicians
UT Physicians is a non-profit, physician corporation affiliated with the practice plan of the Medical School. The company’s primary purpose is to facilitate and expand the Medical School faculty’s ability to provide health care services to the community. UT Physicians’s ventures include the creation of outpatient centers throughout Houston where UT adult and pediatric specialists provide accessible, state-of-the-art health care. In July 2000, UT Physicians assumed the management of the previously jointly-managed UT-Hermann ambulatory care clinics, most of which are located in the Hermann Professional Building. This building was recently acquired by the university and renamed The University of Texas Health Science Center Professional Building. Now called UT Physicians, these clinical sites are being managed with emphasis on customer satisfaction and physician productivity while still incorporating medical student and resident education.

In order to provide ease of access to the clinical faculty, UT Physicians created the UT Physician Referral Service. The toll free number 1 888 4UT DOCS (1 888 488 3627) is answered by trained clinical staff who assist with scheduling appointments, consultations and second opinions. UTP maintains a comprehensive physician database designed to handle highly specialized requests from managed care organizations, referring physicians and patients. UT Physicians provides additional flexibility for the clinical faculty by negotiating managed care contracts and providing comprehensive credentialing of physicians, in keeping with NCQA guidelines. The organization conforms with all requirements of the Texas Board of Medical Examiners.

Affiliated Medical Services
Affiliated Medical Services (AMS) is a Texas-certified non-profit health corporation formed by the health science center and Baylor College of Medicine. It is the entity that contracts with the Harris County Hospital District to provide physician services from both schools.