Physician-Led Utilization Management & Advisory Services
MEDICAL GROUPS & IPAs

Utilization Management Services for Medical Groups & IPAs

UM Physician Advisors LLC provides physician-led utilization management and review services for medical groups, IPAs, delegated entities, and risk-bearing organizations. Delegated utilization management requires timely determinations, payer and regulatory alignment, physician availability, consistent documentation, and patient-specific clinical reasoning. UM Physician Advisors provides physician-level review capacity that integrates into the organization’s existing governance and workflows.

01

Medical Director Capacity

Extend physician-review capacity during sustained volume, vacancies, leave coverage, backlog, growth, or concentrated demand.

02

Complex & Ambiguous Cases

Escalate cases where diagnosis, criteria, treatment intensity, trajectory, or disposition does not produce an obvious determination.

03

Delegated UM Responsibilities

Apply the appropriate payer, product, benefit, coverage policy, delegation requirements, and authorized clinical-review framework.

04

Consistency & Defensibility

Produce clear patient-specific determinations with concise reasoning that supports oversight and operational consistency.

DELEGATED UM PRINCIPLE

The medical group retains governance. Physician review adds clinical capacity, independent reasoning, and clear documentation.

PHYSICIAN SUPPORT ACROSS DELEGATED UM

Review capacity across the utilization-management continuum.

PA

Prior Authorization

Physician review of requested services, procedures, treatments, diagnostics, and specialty care.

IP

Inpatient & Observation

Patient-status and level-of-care review integrating severity, expected course, payer policy, and Medicare requirements when applicable.

CS

Concurrent / Continued Stay

Day-specific analysis of treatment, response, complications, continued needs, and transition readiness.

RR

Retrospective Review

Reconstruct the clinical course and applicable requirements for completed episodes or disputed dates.

AR

Appeals & Reconsideration

Independent physician reassessment using the complete record and governing coverage requirements.

P2P

Peer-to-Peer

Physician-to-physician discussion focused on material clinical facts and the medical-necessity question.

PAC

SNF / IRF / LTACH / Post-Acute

Review skilled needs, rehabilitation intensity, respiratory complexity, function, and appropriate next level of care.

CE

Complex Case Escalation

Additional physician judgment when criteria, coverage policy, specialty evidence, and trajectory require reconciliation.

FROM DELEGATED RESPONSIBILITY TO PHYSICIAN DETERMINATION

A structured pathway that preserves patient-specific judgment.

1
MEMBER & BENEFIT

Identify the member and requested service

Confirm payer, product, benefit, requested service, and the precise review question.

2
GOVERNING REQUIREMENTS

Identify the coverage framework

Determine applicable Medicare, MA, Medicaid, commercial, payer-policy, or delegated requirements.

3
DECISION SUPPORT

Apply authorized clinical criteria

Structure the analysis without substituting criteria for controlling coverage requirements or physician judgment.

4
CLINICAL STORY

Reconstruct the complete clinical course

Evaluate presentation, severity, treatment, response, complications, function, and trajectory.

5
PHYSICIAN JUDGMENT

Make the patient-specific determination

Integrate the governing framework, criteria, evidence, and complete medical record.

6
DOCUMENTATION

State the rationale clearly

Identify the material facts and reasoning supporting the determination.

DETERMINATIONClear, patient-specific physician rationale
MEDICARE ADVANTAGE

Delegated MA review requires a Medicare-aware pathway.

When a medical group or IPA performs delegated UM for Medicare Advantage members, review must account for the Medicare requirements governing the service or patient-status question. Plan and delegated criteria should be applied within the applicable CMS framework.

Explore Medicare Advantage Review
FLEXIBLE PHYSICIAN CAPACITY

Capacity that fits the existing UM operation.

Ongoing Coverage

Recurring physician-review capacity across defined categories or coverage windows.

Overflow & Backlog

Temporary support for surges, accumulated queues, or implementation pressure.

Complex-Case Escalation

Focused review for cases requiring additional physician judgment.

Targeted Programs

Defined populations, service lines, review categories, or delegated initiatives.

Vacation / Vacancy Coverage

Maintain continuity when internal medical-director availability changes.

SEE THE REASONING IN PRACTICE

Explore de-identified physician-review cases.

See how coverage requirements, criteria, patient trajectory, Medicare status rules, post-acute needs, and physician judgment come together in actual UM scenarios.

View Case Examples

Keep governance internal. Extend physician-review capacity when you need it.

Independent clinical reasoning. Clear determinations. Flexible physician support for delegated UM.

Discuss delegated responsibilities, review volume, medical-director coverage, escalation needs, turnaround expectations, and workflow.

Expanded Clinical Review Support

Appeals & Provider Dispute Resolution

Independent physician review of disputed medical-necessity and authorization decisions with concise, defensible rationale.

Clinical Grievance Review

Physician review of grievances involving substantive clinical questions while leaving nonclinical grievance administration to the organization.

Clinical Validation

Review of whether diagnoses and clinical conditions are supported by the clinical evidence documented in the record.