Physicians Immediate Care

Physicians Immediate Care: Philip Knuth,  V P Clinic Operations and Advanced Practice Provider Services

Please tell us a little about what you do for Physicians Immediate Care. 

I am currently the Vice President of Clinic Operations and Advanced Practice Provider Services. I am responsible for developing policies, processes, and guidelines that standardize, drive, and improve clinic performance, medical care excellence, operational efficiency and foster a positive patient-first company outlook coupled with occupational medicine client satisfaction. I serve as a connection and conduit between operational and medical leadership to effectively maximize best practices as it pertains to medical practice and operational excellence. I am also responsible for being the support for all the Physician Assistants (PAs) and Nurse Practitioners (NPs) at PIC. I provide training and remedial training for our Advanced Practice.

Can you describe your career path at PIC? Where did you start and how did you get to where you are now? And how do you see your career continuing to develop at PIC? 

I was originally employed as a Physician Assistant. After approximately a year, I was promoted to Clinic General Manager and was asked to join the Provider Advisory Board. After leading and developing the clinic, I gained more responsibilities and training opportunities in the company and became an advocate for our Advanced Practice Providers. One year ago, recognizing the need, our company developed a position, Director of Advanced Practice Providers and I accepted a promotion into that position. Recently, I was asked to consider the position of Vice President of Clinic Operations and I accepted it and currently hold both positions jointly.

PIC's mission is "to provide remarkable care you can count on, when and where you need it." Can you tell us how you see that mission playing out from day to day at PIC? 

We live in a world where people are busier than ever before. A lot of people have complicated lives and when those complications are pressed upon by illness, personally or that of a family member, time and affordability, especially in the age of high-deductible health insurance, we are there. Our 40+ clinics across two states offer an answer for people who need healthcare but their primary care practice cannot meet that need (for instance, they don’t have appointments available) and/or as an alternative to the long waits and high pricing of an Emergency Room.

Our providers provide care that is sometimes not thought of as typical in "Immediate/Urgent" care. We handle some truly complex cases. Besides the large volumes of medical cases, we treat fractures, multi-layer wound closures, slit-lamp examinations, administration of IV fluids, and joint injections. We work with our patients’ primary care physicians to coordinate care and handle a portion of follow-up visits, especially for our occupational injury patients. On top of all this, seeing over 500,000 visits yearly, our providers deliver high patient satisfaction with a rating of 4.6/5.0 on our patient surveys. Medicine is complicated, but our providers are dedicated to providing excellent care and our company is dedicated to improving experiences and services to our patients.

What's something you appreciate about PIC that people wouldn't know unless they worked there? 

That our company works hard to recognize and develop talented people from within. We have employees that started off working at our front desks or as Medical Assistants who are now managers of multiple clinics, holding leadership positions in Human Resources, Operations, and other areas of the organization. The direction and how far your career goes is reflected in your work ability, willingness to grow, and dedication.

What advice would you give to someone applying for a role at PIC?   

Recognize that the practice of medicine is complicated and can be hard. Working here can be busy and the days can sometimes be long, so if you are looking for an “easy job”, we are not the place for you but, that being said, if you truly like helping people, working as part of a team, providing care that makes a difference in people’s everyday lives and working for a company that likes to watch people grow and develop into their careers, then this is the place for you.