Few hospitals can afford to employ a majority of their independent physicians without a negative financial impact on their overall operating and capital position, according to a new white paper from Kaufmann Hall and the Health Research & Educational Trust in partnership with the American Hospital Association.
If hospitals are unable to employ most of their independent physicians, it's consequentially critical they recognize the nuanced patterns of relationships with these providers. Here are six general categories, discussed in the whitepaper, for hospitals' relationships with independent physicians.
1. Foundational: These are loyal and highly active physicians who drive quality and a disproportionate amount of revenue and volume to the hospital. They typically anchor a certain service line.
2. Loyalists: These physicians typically admit 70 to 100 percent of their inpatients to the hospital. They may or may not be foundational practices.
3. Splitters: Although these physicians admit to multiple hospitals, 20 to 70 percent of their patients are admitted to one hospital.
4. Occasional users: These physicians admit less than 20 percent of their inpatients to the hospital, and the barriers to securing their admissions are usually significant.
5. Referring non-admitting: In the future, these physicians may represent a potential source of new business. For now, they are upstream referral sources who may direct a sizable volume, usually to a specific specialty, from outside the service area.
6. Non-users: These physicians do not use the organization's facilities and are still independent. Over time, these physicians could represent growth opportunities.
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If hospitals are unable to employ most of their independent physicians, it's consequentially critical they recognize the nuanced patterns of relationships with these providers. Here are six general categories, discussed in the whitepaper, for hospitals' relationships with independent physicians.
1. Foundational: These are loyal and highly active physicians who drive quality and a disproportionate amount of revenue and volume to the hospital. They typically anchor a certain service line.
2. Loyalists: These physicians typically admit 70 to 100 percent of their inpatients to the hospital. They may or may not be foundational practices.
3. Splitters: Although these physicians admit to multiple hospitals, 20 to 70 percent of their patients are admitted to one hospital.
4. Occasional users: These physicians admit less than 20 percent of their inpatients to the hospital, and the barriers to securing their admissions are usually significant.
5. Referring non-admitting: In the future, these physicians may represent a potential source of new business. For now, they are upstream referral sources who may direct a sizable volume, usually to a specific specialty, from outside the service area.
6. Non-users: These physicians do not use the organization's facilities and are still independent. Over time, these physicians could represent growth opportunities.
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Survey: Percent of Cardiovascular Practices Employed by Hospitals Tripled 2007-2012