The relationship between the two major and most prominent providers of healthcare—physicians and hospital— is changing. The book The Healthcare Executive's Guide to Physician-Hospital Alignment, explores the benefits of alignment, alignment models and strategies, compensation strategies, legal and regulatory considerations, and alternative paths toward integration.
Alignment in healthcare today occurs for multiple reasons, owing in part to the current climate of federally mandated healthcare reforms. One important outcome realized through alignment is "strength in numbers."
This concept is familiar to most people, as it applies to a number of industries, not just healthcare. The basis for the strength in numbers concept is that parties working together for a central purpose are more likely to succeed than those who face work challenges alone.
One of the overarching pros of alignment is the opportunity it provides both physicians and hospitals to work more closely together in an effort to adapt to the changing reimbursement paradigm and the accountable care era in which we find ourselves today.
Having an alignment strategy and structure in place becomes the foundation upon which accountable care structures can then be built, whether it is a patient-centered medical home, a clinically integrated network, a quality collaborative, or an accountable care organization.
Having the right strategy and structure in place can mitigate some of the challenges associated with alignment.
To read more, download a free sample chapter of The Healthcare Executive's Guide to Physician-Hospital Alignment:
The Coker Group, a management consulting firm with expertise in strategy, finance, and technology problem solving, specializes in solutions for businesses within the healthcare industry.