The Faculty Practice Plan (FPP) is responsible for overseeing the medical school’s clinical practice activities. This responsibility was delegated to the FPP by the Washington University School of Medicine Executive Faculty in 1997.
Washington University is one of the largest, in terms of the size of its clinical practice, among the nation’s 125 medical schools. The faculty see more than a million patients per year. Faculty also provide ambulatory services at several suburban sites throughout the metropolitan area and operate rural outreach clinics.
The FPP is governed by a Board of Directors with 28 voting members and has the following standing committees: Clinical Practice Committee, Professional Liability Committee, Finance Committee, and Nominating Committee. All FPP committees are heavily populated with faculty-at-large representation.
Clinical support services
The FPP is currently focusing on the following major priorities and operates several clinical support services to help achieve these goals:
- Establishing and monitoring standards for patient access and patient and referring physician satisfaction
- Managing WUSM physician billing services
- Developing and enhancing clinical practice infrastructure (patient scheduling, electronic medical record, clinical information systems)
- Conducting managed care contracting for 979 clinical faculty and 492 community physicians via Washington University Physician Network (WUPN)
- Establishing and enhancing working relationships with community physicians
- Coordinating strategic planning for WUSM clinical practice in concert with our affiliated hospitals via the Joint Office of Strategic Planning (JOSP). Advancing public policy agenda in the clinical arena (safety net care, trauma care, tort reform)
Washington University Physicians developed and adopted the Professional Service Commitments in 1998. These commitments have since been endorsed by the WUSM Graduate Medical Education Committee as appropriate for our medical trainees and by the medical staffs of Barnes-Jewish Hospital (BJH) and St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
Washington University Physicians
Washington University clinical faculty provide inpatient care and hospital based services throughout the metropolitan area. Outside of the Washington University Medical Center (WUMC) facilities (BJH, St. Louis Children’s Hospital and The Rehabilitation Institute of St. Louis), services are primarily provided within specific service lines at several off-campus facilities. These include Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital (BJWCH), Barnes-Jewish St. Peter’s Hospital (BJSPH), Shriner’s Hospital, Missouri Baptist Medical Center and Christian Hospital.
The FPP Washington University Physicians web site is a highly utilized central repository of information targeted specifically to patients and referring physicians. Clinical faculty members are assisted in maintaining accurate, up-to-date information about their clinical practices by the FPP Communications and Marketing office. The FPP also provides referring physicians with a directory of key contact information about Washington University faculty.