Integration & Physician Issues

Olympia, Wash.-based Providence Health Care, part of Providence Health & Services, has acquired Northeast Washington Medical Group, a multispecialty practice based in Colville, Wash., with 26 physicians and seven advanced practitioners.

The entire healthcare community seems to be on edge about the national physician shortage. An article in the Annals of Family Medicine predicted that the nation will be short 52,000 physicians by 2025, and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care…

Florida Hospital in Orlando has acquired Florida Heart Group, a practice with 19 cardiologists, according to an Orlando Sentinel report.

The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care has opened its on-site medical home certification program to all organizations.

Consumer Reports has partnered with the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality to publish ratings of 19 Wisconsin medical groups that serve about half of the state's population.

Clearwater, Fla.-based BayCare Health System's physician group, BayCare Physician Partners, and Cigna have launched an accountable care initiative, effective Jan 1.

Downers Grove, Ill.-based DuPage Medical Group and health insurer Humana have partnered to open an outpatient clinic for Chicagoland senior citizens who have chronic diseases.

Mon General Hospital in Morgantown, W.Va., has partnered with Cornerstone Teaching Health Center in Greensboro, Pa., and the Mountain State Osteopathic Postdoctoral Training Institutions in Lewisburg, W.Va., to offer a family medicine residency program.

The Government Accountability Office examined nine private payors and their practices for incentivizing physicians, finding some of their protocols may help CMS' performance-based reimbursement efforts.

How much money do hospitals lose on employed physicians? According to the New England Journal of Medicine, operating shortfalls range from $150,000 to $250,000 per provider during each of the first three years of employment. But for many hospitals, these…