Integration & Physician Issues

Physicians need to do a better job of communicating with their patients. Could the same be said for how executives communicate with physicians?

Creating an accountable care organization often takes months, if not years, of strategic planning before a plan is fully developed. However, even with all of that planning, some organizations still fail at various stages of the process or do not…

Two hospital pay-for-performance programs in Maryland have saved money and improved quality of care in hospitals, including the reduction of hospital-acquired conditions, according to a new study published in Health Affairs.

California may allow some care providers, such as nurse practitioners, pharmacists and others, to play an expanded role in care delivery, thanks to state Sen. Ed Hernandez, OD, according to a Capital Public Radio report.

Seven pediatrician practices in the Chicago-land area have agreed to combine and form PediaTrust, a financially integrated organization that will officially launch Jan. 1.

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia has completed agreements with six physician groups in the state to participate in a payment model designed to strengthen the role of primary care throughout Virginia.

The Medical Group Management Association recently asked 800 group practice professionals to rank seven of the largest health insurers on willingness to participate in payment innovation and professionals' perceptions of the payors. 

Bundled pricing represents an alternative approach to fee-for-service that shifts the risk of extraordinary costs from payors to providers, and it creates incentives for providers to make cost effectiveness a factor in clinical decisions. Both of these outcomes are attractive…

Although three-quarters of Society of Healthcare Strategy and Market Development members consider communication "very" or "extremely" important to the overall success of an accountable care organization, only 38 percent felt adequately prepared to communicate the initiative to internal and external…

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill are collaborating to create a physician assistant master's degree program to help reduce the state's shortage of healthcare providers.