Integration & Physician Issues

The following commercial accountable care organizations or arrangements were announced since June, beginning with the most recent.

Physicians are more likely to refer patients to providers who have similar backgrounds as the referring physician, and such informal networks could have implications for structures like accountable care organizations, according to a new study.

Vanderbilt University researchers will receive a national grant to produce a tool to map and predict primary care shortage hot spots nationwide, according to a news release.

Torrington, Conn.-based Charlotte Hungerford Hospital has formed the Charlotte Hungerford Multi-Specialty Group that will include a network of two dozen physicians, surgeons and specialists, according to a Register Citizen report.

Both employed and independent physicians are beginning to take steps to prepare for pay-for-performance and value-based purchasing models. A recent American Medical News report discusses three steps for physician leaders to take when preparing for new payment models.

Cleveland-based University Hospitals has purchased five physician practices in the Akron, Ohio, area, according to an Akron Beacon Journal report.

What are the latest trends in physician demand, recruitment and employment? Here are five major findings from Merritt Hawkins' 2012 Review of Physician Recruiting Incentives.

The board of Miami-based Jackson Health System has voted to put 30 percent of its monthly payments to the University of Miami medical school into an escrow account, according to a Miami Herald report.

Representatives from several physician organizations testified in front of the U.S. House Small Business Committee Thursday to discuss the trend toward physician-hospital alignment and the shrinking number of small group and solo practices nationwide, according to a Bloomberg report.

Cigna has launched two new accountable care initiatives through its collaborative accountable care program.