While hospital-employed physician rates climbed to 32.6 percent in 2016, physicians are seemingly transitioning back to independent practice — 72 percent of physicians identified as practitioners at independent or physician-led group practices in 2017, according to a recent Black Book Market Research report.
Industry emphasis on population health and value-based care initiatives has made physicians gravitate toward "more coordinated, integrated and consumer-centric physician organizations," Doug Brown, founder of Black Book Market Research, said in a statement. He also noted providers within those physician organizations are turning to value-based care consulting firms for guidance as they maneuver the forthcoming changes to the industry.
The market research company surveyed nearly 900 physician organizations, analyzing physician leaders' thoughts on the usefulness of value-based consultants and physician practice advisors.
Here are three insights from the survey.
1. The majority (89 percent) of physician organization decision-makers surveyed said they would prefer to hire advisers with expertise in population health management and revenue cycle management.
2. Twenty-one percent of academic medical center physician departments and clinics will have worked with a value-based consultancy firm by the fourth quarter of 2018.
3. The majority of practice managers surveyed (88 percent) said the transition to value-based care will affect the entire physician organization and most organizations are not prepared for the change.