How to play by H.S.A. rules and still win.
Instead of placing themselves in an adversarial relationship with the local Health Systems Agencies (H.S.A.), physicians in Minnesota have formed committees to monitor and cooperate with each of the state's local H.S.A.s. Funded by the Minnesota Medical Association, the Physicians Health Force (P.H.F.) is organized along the same lines as each H.S.A. When an H.S.A. forms a committee or task force, the local P.H.F. does the same. In addition, each physician that is a member of the H.S.A. is also an ex-officio member of the Physicians Health Force. Although the physician groups were viewed with some skepticism when they first were formed in 1974, many H.S.A. staffers now believe that the groups help foster a spirit of cooperation and communication between physicians and the rest of the community.