University Physicians' Association

What University Physicians' Association does

University Physicians' Association, Inc. (UPA) is a Knoxville, Tennessee-based for-profit physician practice management organization that provides administrative and operational support services to independent physician practices and medical groups, primarily across East Tennessee. Founded in 1995 and operating as a registered and licensed Professional Employer Organization (PEO) in Tennessee, UPA serves a network of 1,392 clinicians with a team of 1,205 members, and runs dual headquarters at 9000 Executive Park Drive (Corporate Square Office) and 2121 Medical Center Way (Medical Staff Office), both in Knoxville. The company's core products are organized into two flagship lines — Revenue Cycle Management (claims processing, billing, and reimbursement optimization) and Co-Employment Services (PEO) covering HR, payroll, benefits administration, and compliance — supplemented by add-on modules for Credentialing, Contracting & Managed Care, Medical Staff Office support, Information Systems, and Telehealth guidance.

UPA's business model is a sales-led, professional services engagement delivered through direct contracts with physician practices; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The technology layer is described as a web-based HR management system for payroll and benefits, with no public API, no mobile app, and no disclosed AI capabilities. Marketing is driven by organic social (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram) and content distribution through the Front Lines monthly newsletter and the Pathways to Managed Care publication, with no performance-marketing or paid acquisition signals. Strategic payer partnerships (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee, Cigna, Aetna) and an institutional affiliation with the University of Tennessee Medical Center anchor its managed care intermediary role. The company is privately held, has no disclosed parent company, no funding history, no M&A activity, and no management team information publicly available; revenue is not disclosed.

Name

University Physicians' Association

Legal name

University Physicians' Association, Inc.

Website

https://upasolutions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

University Physicians' Association is a Knoxville, Tennessee-based physician practice management organization providing revenue cycle management, co-employment (PEO), credentialing, and managed care services to a network of 1,392 clinicians across East Tennessee.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Knoxville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Revenue Cycle Management Services: RCM services including billing, claims processing, and reimbursement optimization for physician practices
2. Co-Employment Services (PEO): Professional Employer Organization services providing HR, payroll, benefits administration, and compliance support to physician practices. Registered and licensed PEO in Tennessee.
3. Credentialing Services: Provider credentialing, contracting with managed care plans, and medical staff office services
4. Telehealth Services Support: Telehealth policy guidance and payer updates for proper reimbursement

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

University Physicians' Association (UPA) is a physician practice management organization headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee that provides administrative and operational support services to physician practices across East Tennessee. Its core offerings include Revenue Cycle Management (billing, claims processing, reimbursement optimization) and Co-Employment/PEO services (HR, payroll, benefits administration, compliance), supplemented by credentialing, managed care contracting, medical staff office, information systems, and telehealth support.

Product overview

University Physicians' Association operates as a physician practice management organization providing a platform of administrative and support services for healthcare practices in East Tennessee. The core offerings include Revenue Cycle Management and Co-Employment Services (PEO), supplemented by Credentialing, Contracting & Managed Care, Medical Staff Office, Information Systems, and Telehealth modules. These services are designed to help independent physicians and practices focus on patient care by offloading business operations, HR management, and revenue optimization tasks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Revenue Cycle Management
• Co-Employment Services (PEO)
• Credentialing Services
• Contracting & Managed Care Services
• Medical Staff Office Services
• Information Systems Support
• Telehealth Services Support

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• UT Cancer CenterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2025UPA presented a donation to UT Cancer Center in March 2025. UPA promoted team initiatives to raise awareness and contribute to cancer research.
• CignacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2024UPA has a Cigna Medicare Advantage agreement. Pathways newsletters provide Cigna MA updates and participation information. October 2024 featured a Cigna MA update article.
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of TennesseecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBCBS of TN is a key payer partner for UPA member practices. BCBS has implemented payment policy updates effective 10/1/25 including elimination of consultation codes and payment reductions. UPA provides guidance to member practices on BCBS policy changes.
• Aetna (CVS Health)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAetna healthcare partner providing vaccine resources and COVID-19 information for healthcare providers. Aetna is part of the CVS Health family.
• University of Tennessee Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUPA is affiliated with UT Medical Center. Case study documents mention University of Tennessee Medical Center as a client for provider data management upgrades.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Privia Health Group: Privia Health operates a national physician enablement platform combining practice management, RCM, and payer partnerships across multiple states. It is directly comparable to UPA in serving independent and affiliated physician practices with multi-service administrative support.
• Agilon Health: Agilon Health partners with primary care physician practices to provide administrative, clinical, and risk-bearing capabilities. Like UPA, it operates as an MSO-style organization supporting independent practices, though at much greater scale and with a value-based care focus.

Broad incumbents

• R1 RCM: R1 RCM is a large-scale revenue cycle management company serving hospitals and physician groups. It competes with UPA's RCM offering but at significantly greater scale and with a more technology-driven delivery model.
• Athenahealth: Athenahealth provides cloud-based EHR, practice management, and RCM services to physician practices. It is comparable to UPA's information systems and RCM offerings, but as a broad incumbent with national reach and a SaaS-led model.
• eClinicalWorks: eClinicalWorks delivers EHR, practice management, and RCM solutions to physician practices of all sizes. Comparable to UPA's information systems and RCM modules, particularly for ambulatory and specialty practices.
• Insperity: Insperity is a national PEO providing HR, payroll, benefits, and compliance services. It is directly comparable to UPA's Tennessee-licensed PEO/co-employment services line, with much broader geographic reach.
• TriNet: TriNet provides PEO-style HR, payroll, benefits, and compliance solutions primarily to small and mid-market businesses, including professional services firms. Comparable to UPA's co-employment services for physician practices.
• ADP TotalSource: ADP TotalSource is one of the largest PEOs in the U.S., offering HR, payroll, benefits, and compliance services. It competes with UPA's PEO offering at a national scale, particularly for practices looking to consolidate HR vendors.

Emerging players

• Waystar: Waystar provides cloud-based revenue cycle technology (claims, patient access, analytics) to hospitals and physician groups. It competes with the technology layer underlying UPA's RCM services and represents the modern, software-led RCM alternative.
• Cedar Gate Technologies: Cedar Gate provides value-based care and population health management technology to physician groups and payers. It is an emerging peer in the physician enablement space that overlaps with UPA's managed care and contracting work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/1149897328361009
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/university-physicians-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/upasolutions

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about University Physicians' Association