Physicians Prep for Bundled, Performance-based Payments

Things will be different this time, with an emphasis on shared goals.

With the escalation of physicians seeking employment, and now healthcare reform and the fading of fee-for-service, the industry is ushering in a rebirth of the 1980s physician employment boom—but this time around, everyone is wiser. All providers—hospitals, physicians, and payers—recognize that they must work together to position themselves for bundled, performance-based payments for care delivery.

In some instances hospitals are employing doctors, in others instances they are using joint ventures or other management agreements, but in all instances, the goal is ultimately the same: to bring the physician and the administration to an agreement that helps unite and align everyone toward achieving the same strategic, financial, and leadership goals.

There are a plethora of models for structural and economic physician-hospital alignment that have evolved over the years, including:

• Organizational structures (e.g., physician-advisory councils)
• Economic models (e.g., joint ventures and employment of physicians by hospitals)
• Emerging models (e.g., the growth of  “super groups,” the changing roles of physician-hospital organizations, and gainsharing)