Background
Paige K Covell, CMPE
My background in medical practice management is rather expansive and I’ve found a narrative form best describes it. Though I have been engaged by those in other specialties for a variety of needs, I have specific expertise in the field of anesthesiology practice management and medical billing with over 50 years of personal experience. In 1954 my grandmother founded The Spring Group in Los Angeles. My father joined the firm in 1961 and I started working there in 1966. Originally established as a small business providing billing and collecting services for Anesthesiologists, Spring metamorphosed into a full billing and practice management service for physicians of multiple disciplines.
I have worked with physicians and hospitals on a broad spectrum of needs. I worked in all departments at Spring, starting with billing, coding, pricing and scheduling. As Vice President my activities included interviewing prospective clients, assisting them in acquiring professional liability coverage, finding locum tenens and permanent positions, appraising and negotiating contracts with physicians, hospitals and third-party payors and counseling in areas of professional and personal nature.
Through the years I have directly guided physicians and hospital Administrators on directorship contracting and group amalgamation efforts, advising on entity structure, income distribution methodology and subcontracting with new associates.
Independent Anesthesia IPA of California and Independent Anesthesia IPA of Arizona were subsidiaries of Spring, and for each of which I served as President. These entities were developed to specifically assist Anesthesiologists, whether or not clients of Spring, in their negotiating efforts with third-party payors. This is a facet of physician representation going beyond the simple boundaries of Spring clientage, which doubled with my involvement. Spring was servicing over eight hundred clients in ten western states when the company was sold in November of 1996. I have since then continued to render services on a consulting basis.
In addition to my post with The Spring Group, I served on the California Society of Anesthesiologists’ Impaired Physicians Committee and was accepted as a Physician Monitor with the California Medical Board’s Diversion Program for Impaired Physicians. Board Certified by the American College of Medical Practice Executives (ACMPE), I have also qualified multiple times as an expert witness in medical practice management and medical billing in Superior Court of California.