A practice environment in which success comes quickly. Physicians beginning or relocating their practices to East Tennessee in affiliation with Covenant Health facilities have enjoyed almost universal - and immediate - success. Some physicians report being fully booked a month or more into the future within a few months of beginning practice here. Access to patients The Covenant Health hospitals lead in market share in cardiac, neuro-spine, orthopedic, obstetric, gynecological and surgical admissions, outpatient procedures, emergency visits, and many other treatment areas and service lines. Covenant Health's majority-owned Cariten Healthcare is one of the area's leading health insurers. Through them, physicians here have access to more than 600,000 potential patients through a wide range of plan types. In addition, Covenant Health facilities are included on the provider lists of all major plans serving the area. Good payor mix System-wide, Medicare covers 50% of cases, commercial insurance covers 27%, and Tricare (military and retired military) and TennCare (Tennessee's Medicaid) cover all but about 5% of the rest. Commercial reimbursement rates are at about the national average. When Tennessee's relatively low malpractice insurance rates are factored in, that helps practice profitability significantly. Strong referral base Covenant Health has a consistent record of success in helping new practices get off to a good start both through effective networking with our almost two thousand affiliated physicians, and by helping introduce new practitioners to the community.

In Their Own Words... Dr. Bruce LeForce Dr. Bruce LeForce and his family moved here from San Antonio several years ago. Click to hear what he has to say. Click the play button to hear what Dr. LeForce has to say about building a practice in East Tennessee. You will need a current version of Adobe's free Flash player. If the file does not play please click here.