Editors: Paul A. Harper, M.D..
ONE HUNDRED FIVE pediatricians in New York City and adjoining counties are members of the staffs of the 32 medical groups that provide the comprehensive prepaid medical care guaranteed the enrollees of the Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York. The 105 pediatricians comprise about 10% of all the doctors, family physicians and specialists, who staff these medical centers. These medical organizations now serve an insured population approaching half a million persons of whom about one-fourth are children under the age of 15. Because of the size of this medical care program and the scarcity of information on the operation of medical group practice, Dr. Paul Harper of Pediatrics asked the President of H.I.P., Dr. George Baehr, for a discussion of the effects, as seen by pediatricians, of a medical group setting on the practice of pediatrics, as contrasted with the "solo" practice of pediatrics. In acceding to the request, Dr. Baehr asked six pediatricians, all chiefs of staffs in medical groups, to assume responsibility for the preparation of the article and the chiefs of pediatrics in the other medical groups to join them in sponsoring its publication.
Every new medical group must have at least one pediatrician on its staff before it can become affiliated with H.I.P. to provide service to enrollees.