What Is Ipa Health Insurance? 
An IPA is an `` Independent Practice Association '' ... a group or association of doctors within a geographic region . So if you have a health plan through a specific IPA , it 's an HMO in that you receive all your care within that IPA and you generally have a PCP -LRB- primary care physician -RRB- . If you pick an IPA , make sure you 're happy with your primary doctor -LRB- although you can change primaries -RRB- and be sure there are lots of speciliasts in the group , PLUS ... check the list of hospitals in the IPA to be sure you 're comfortable with those that are included . 