Where management ends and medicine begins
Texas does not allow a company that is not owned by physicians to practice medicine, employ physicians to deliver medical care, or interfere with a physician's independent clinical judgment. That rule shapes everything about how we are built, and we would rather state it plainly than bury it in an agreement. It matters most in weight management, where the pressure to standardise prescribing across sites is real and we do not act on it.
Synergy decides
- Which billing, scheduling and technology platforms the administrative team uses
- How claims, denials and patient balances are worked
- Recruiting, employment terms and supervision of non-clinical staff we furnish
- Vendor selection, procurement and facility projects
- Marketing channels, budget allocation and campaign execution
- Administrative policies, training and reporting
The practice decides
- Diagnosis, treatment, prescribing and referral, patient by patient
- Clinical protocols, formulary, dosing and standing orders, including which weight management agents to use and when
- Which providers to hire, credential, supervise and terminate
- Whether to accept, decline or discharge a patient
- Visit length, panel size and appointment templates
- Coding of the service actually performed, and the content of the medical record
How the structure holds up
- Separate entitiesThe management company and each client practice are separate legal entities with separate books, bank accounts, tax filings and insurance.
- No ownership overlap imposedClient practices are owned by licensed physicians. Synergy takes no equity, no option and no security interest in a client practice, and holds no proxy over its shares.
- Flat fees onlyCompensation is a fixed monthly amount set at contracting. We do not bill a percentage of collections, a share of professional fees or a per-encounter amount, which keeps the arrangement clear of fee-splitting concerns.
- Fee methodologyFees are set by reference to the cost of the services actually delivered and the market rate for comparable administrative services, documented in the agreement file and reviewed at renewal.
- Practice-controlled revenueProfessional fees are deposited into accounts owned and controlled by the practice. Synergy invoices the practice and is paid like any other vendor.
- Records ownershipThe medical record is the practice's property during the term and on termination. Synergy processes protected health information only as a business associate.
- Counsel reviewThe management services agreement, fee methodology and marketing materials are reviewed by healthcare regulatory counsel and updated as Texas law and payer rules change.
- Exit rightsClient practices may terminate on notice and take their systems, data and staff arrangements with them, with a defined transition period.
Privacy and information security
We handle protected health information on behalf of our clients, under a business associate agreement with each of them.
Written program
HIPAA privacy and security policies, a designated privacy and security officer, and annual workforce training with documented completion.
Risk analysis
Periodic security risk analysis covering systems, access, devices and vendors, with a remediation plan tracked to closure.
Access control
Role-based access in the practice management and clinical systems, unique user credentials, multi-factor authentication and audit logging.
Vendor diligence
Business associate agreements and security review for every subcontractor that touches protected health information.
Incident response
Documented intake, investigation, containment and notification procedure, with client notification obligations defined in the agreement.
Advertising review
Marketing claims, testimonials and regulated-category advertising reviewed before publication, including platform certification where required.
Counsel are welcome to review our template
If you are evaluating us, ask for the form management services agreement. Your attorney should read it before you sign anything, and we would rather that happen early.