Research

In today’s healthcare climate, leaders within integrated delivery networks and community hospitals alike are facing a variety of changes poised not only to reshape care delivery, but also to impact reimbursement rates and mechanisms. From accountable care organizations to patient-centered medical homes, new care models and business imperatives mean healthcare organizations of all sizes need to engage physicians in order to improve clinical and financial outcomes and remain viable amidst the rapid pace of change.

Even as projections of physician shortages loom, physician employment and practice acquisition have been on the rise in many markets across the nation—but by and large, these transactions alone have not been sufficient to truly align care providers and integrate them into the larger organizational vision and objectives. An industry-wide legacy of cultural, institutional, and even technological barriers to hospital–physician integration has made lasting partnerships a challenge.

As such, leaders involved in clinical integration and transformation, physician network or medical group oversight, and medical staff management are striving to find strategies that will help break down silos between administrators and clinicians, hospitals and physician practices—ultimately promoting a sense