Lions and lambs get together?
by Lola Butcher
Although more than 75 percent of all physicians practice alone or in small groups, most of the speakers at the World Health Care Congress foresee an era of physician/hospital integration fast approaching.
Francis “Jay” Crosson, MD, executive director, The Permanente Federation, an advocate of this integration identified five reasons for the emerging interest:
- Financial self interest
- Health care reform is coming
- The delivery system matters
- Physicians and hospitals are the key to overall quality and cost
- Medicare Part A trust fund will be depleted in 2019
Trends/concepts that are driving this new interest:
- Regulatory clarity/safe harbors-”gain sharing” (shared accountability)
- Bundled payments–recommended by the Medicare Payment Advisory Committee (MedPAC)
- Readmission penalties–recommended by MedPAC
- Medical homes concept–promoted by American College of Physicians
- Accountable care organizations
