Author: Patsy Newitt

Independent physicians are increasingly opting to sell their practices to hospitals, health systems or other corporations.

The number of employed physicians is skyrocketing, and many leaders are concerned about how this workforce evolution will affect care quality.

The decline of private practice is on the minds of many healthcare leaders as reimbursement declines paired with rising practice costs are forcing some physicians to employed models. 

The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission has reviewed the effects of sale of financially troubled Steward Health Care's physician group, Stewardship Health, to Nashville, Tenn.-based Rural Healthcare Group, part of private equity firm Kinderhook Industries, for $245 million in cash, according to…

Amid mounting clinical demands, many physician leaders have been compelled to make personal and professional sacrifices to retain their influence and effectively advocate for both their fellow physicians and the well-being of patients.

While the value of physician leadership is widely recognized, a new survey by Jackson Physician Search and the Medical Group Management Association reveals that leadership development is often sidelined in medical training in favor of clinical skills.

Management service organizations are becoming increasingly powerful in healthcare, particularly in gastroenterology, orthopedics and ophthalmology, Medical Economics reported Oct. 1. 

Benjamin Stein, MD, an independent orthopedic surgeon who co-founded and is now chairman of ASC development group Capital Surgical Solutions, joined Becker's to discuss why physician leadership is critical to the success of healthcare facilities. 

Amid rising costs and declining reimbursements, more hospitals are shutting down services, leaving physicians increasingly impacted.

The continued consolidation of physician groups and health systems is pushing procedures to hospital outpatient departments over ASCs, driving Medicare costs up, according to a study published July 25 in Science Direct.