PrimeCare Physician Associates (PCPA), a rapidly growing 33-physician multi-specialty group in southern Maine, had attracted the attention of a larger PPMC-owned group in nearby Portland, which suggested a merger. This in turn prompted the local hospital to propose several joint business opportunities to the group. PCPA was also confronted with a request for capital from the IPA that it co-owned with the Portland group. In addition, PCPA recognized a need to add ancillary services and make other internal infrastructure improvements in order to maximize its revenue opportunities and move from a "group practice without walls" to a true group practice.

PCPA engaged The Tompkins Group (TTG) to advise its leaders, help the group focus on its key decisions, and guide its decision-making process, recognizing the value that could be added with an experienced outsider’s perspective. TTG led the board through a business planning process, evaluated the various proposals, assessed their relative merits and their likely short- and long-term impact, and made recommendations that were addressed during the planning process.

Then, working collaboratively with the group’s administrative staff, TTG helped management create a business plan that defined (both programmatically and financially) specific actions to accomplish the stated strategies, enabling the PCPA Board to make funding decisions for each item in the plan.