Within the past 3 years, hospital employment and hospital ownership of physician practices has increased in both urban and rural areas, but growth in the number of rural practices owned by hospitals has significantly outpaced that in the urban setting.
Within the past 3 years, hospital employment and hospital ownership of physician practices has increased in both urban and rural areas, but growth in the number of rural practices owned by hospitals has significantly outpaced that in the urban setting (102.6% growth among rural practices vs 77.8% growth for urban practices), according to an October 2016 report, “Physician Practice Acquisition Study: National and Regional Employment Changes,” written through a partnership between Avalere and the Physicians Advocacy Institute (PAI). The partnership is examining trends in physician employment and practice ownership in hospitals and health systems.
Increasingly, physicians practice in the context of employment arrangements with health systems and hospitals, according to the report. There has been continued growth in hospital and health system acquisitions of physician practices, typically involving multiple physicians and acquisition of the practice’s physical building/equipment; and sustained increases in the number of individual physicians entering into employment arrangements with hospitals and health systems.
Highlights of the report are as follow:
Although there are differences across regions, there is a steady trend toward increased employment and hospital ownership of practices in every region of the nation.
Hospital ownership increased from 2011 to 2015. All regions have seen rapid growth in hospital employment and practice ownership. The share of hospital-employed physicians was greatest in the Midwest, where more than a third of physician practices were hospital owned in 2015.
The shift toward employment has significant implications for physicians, but also impacts patients and the system as a whole, the report notes. For physicians, the trend brings challenges but can alleviate certain burdens of independent practice, the report notes. Government and private payer-payment policies increasingly favor integrated health systems and make it challenging for physician practices to remain independent.
“For patients, this trend may impact where they receive care and also how much they will pay in cost sharing,” according to the report.
Finally, the report noted, the site of service delivery impacts spending because there is a differential in Medicare payment for services routinely performed in hospital outpatient department and physician office settings.
Real-World Study Reveals Key Insights into DLBCL Treatment Patterns, Outcomes
April 18th 2024A recent study offers valuable insights into the characteristics, treatment patterns, and outcomes of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in patients across different lines of therapy, providing a look into the landscape of DLBCL management.
Read More
Overcoming Employment Barriers for Lasting Social Impact: Freedom House 2.0 and Pathways to Work
April 16th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our second episode, in which we learn all about Freedom House 2.0 and the Pathways to Work program.
Listen
Gene, Light Therapy Combo Shows Promise Against Prostate Cancer Cells in Proof-of-Concept Study
April 18th 2024In their preclinical model, the researchers found efficacy both in vitro and in vivo by using CRISPR-Cas9 to mimic porphyria and combining the technology with light therapy.
Read More
Making Giant Strides in Maternity Health Through Baby Steps
April 9th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are kicking off a special month-long podcast series with our strategic alliance partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our first episode, which is all about the Baby Steps Maternity Program and its mission to support women throughout every step of their pregnancy journey.
Listen
Collecting SDOH Data Can Assess Risk of Medical Nonadherence, Improve HEI and Star Ratings
April 18th 2024At the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) 2024 annual meeting, a panel of presenters explored changes coming to Medicare that incorporate social determinants of health (SDOH) data to improve patient and health system outcomes.
Read More