Independent Practice Association
IPADefinition
ISO-11179 Definition
A network model where independent physician practices contract together to negotiate with health plans and provide coordinated care while maintaining practice independence. IPAs allow small practices to participate in managed care contracts and value-based payment arrangements that require network scale.
Standard Abbreviation
IPA
Category
Production DDL — DIM_MEMBER
CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE DIM_MEMBER (
mbr_key INTEGER NOT NULL -- surrogate key,
mbr_id VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL -- member identifier,
mbr_first_nm VARCHAR(100) -- first name,
mbr_last_nm VARCHAR(100) -- last name,
mbr_birth_dt DATE -- date of birth,
mbr_gndr_cd CHAR(1) -- gender code M/F/U,
mbr_age SMALLINT -- age in years,
mbr_state_cd CHAR(2) -- state code,
mbr_zip_cd VARCHAR(10) -- zip code,
mbr_elig_ind BOOLEAN -- eligibility indicator,
mbr_enrl_dt DATE -- enrollment date,
mbr_term_dt DATE -- termination date,
mbr_plan_cd VARCHAR(20) -- plan code,
mbr_dual_elig_cd VARCHAR(10) -- dual eligibility code,
load_dt TIMESTAMP_NTZ NOT NULL -- load timestamp
);
Standard Snowflake DDL for the canonical member table. Convert to BigQuery or Databricks →
Why This Term Matters
Member and enrollment data governs who receives care and who pays for it — making it foundational to every downstream healthcare analytics workflow. Data engineers who understand member terminology build eligibility pipelines that prevent coverage gaps, correctly identify dual-eligible members, and support accurate risk adjustment submissions to CMS. Enrollment errors directly affect capitation payments and can trigger CMS corrective action plans.
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