A growing number of U.S. physicians are combining their practices; affiliating with hospitals, insurance companies, and specialty management firms; or going to work directly for such organizations. The moves are part of a broader trend toward consolidation in health care, with the overall number of mergers and acquisitions in the sector at the highest level in a decade. Alterations in physician practice appear to be a response to a number of factors. Younger doctors are more eager than their predecessors to work for an outside institution, such as a hospital, to secure a set schedule and salary. Private practices have become more complex to manage, even as physician compensation has been declining. This book provides background on the factors contributing to changes in physician practice organization, including physician supply, lifestyle changes, and government incentives, with a focus on different types of integration, the legal intricacies of affiliation, and the possible implications for consumer and federal policy.
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