Supporters state the growing number of administrators is necessary to compete with the significant technological and regulatory changes affecting the way healthcare was delivered during the timeframe.
However, critics argue the increase in healthcare administrators does little to mitigate the documentation burdens placed on physicians as a result of the shift to EHRs, according to the report.
“Since the early 1980s, there has been a consolidation and aggregation of larger and larger physician groups in our health system, some affiliated with one or more hospitals. Then there’s the trend of hospitals merging into larger networks,” Marilu Bintz, MD, senior vice president of population health and strategy at La Crosse, Wis.-based Gundersen Health System, told athenainsight.
“If we’re saying the sheer number of administrators is compromising relations between physicians and patients, I disagree. I don’t believe the number itself is a key factor. The key is for [physicians and administrators] to come together and deal with that complexity,” she added.
To read the full report, click here.
More articles on hospital-physician relationships:
How one Missouri hospital treats patients with 0 beds
Vanderbilt University Medical Center surgeon receives ‘hundreds’ of death threats after posting viral picture
Stanford medical school to hire 1st ‘inclusion, culture strategy manager’