Earlier this year, Blue Shield of California, Catholic Healthcare West and San Ramon, Calif-based Hill Physicians launched what is essentially an accountable care organization to manage the care of more than 40,000 members of the California Public Employees' Retirement System.…

Continuing downward pressure on reimbursements has threatened the sustainability of hospitals, and some within the industry see a significant need for providers to respond differently than they have in the past. "Significant shake out will play out in different ways…

Plagued by decreasing payments and payor changes, many hospitals and ASCs are integrating in order to increase referrals, eliminate competition and share the benefits of payor and purchasing clout. Wayne Miller, JD, of Compliance Law Group in Thousand Oaks, Calif.,…

CMS actuaries said the healthcare reform law won't significantly change national health spending over the next decade, contrary to the Democrats' arguments that the law would bend steep projected increases in healthcare spending, according to a report by the Wall…

Fairview Health Services is way ahead of many other participants in Premier's new Accountable Care Collaborative. The seven-hospital Minneapolis system, with 500 employed physicians, is two years into a shared savings arrangement with Medica, the Minnesota-based health insurer. Next year,…

A panel discussion at the Miami Valley Medical Group Management Association's annual seminar predicted partnerships between hospitals and physicians will be increasingly important to hospital success, according to Dayton Daily News report.

Todd Sagin, MD-JD, national medical director of HG Healthcare Consultants in Laverock, Pa., is coauthor of the book, "Creating the Hospital Group Practice: The Advantages of Employing or Affiliating with Physicians." Here he offers some best practices for hospitals on…

Randy Gott, executive vice president at Southwind Health Partners in Nashville, describes 10 best practices for hospitals to make a physician needs assessment.

A new study found physicians with low-income and uninsured patients have more trouble meeting commonly used quality measures due to patients' noncompliance, according to EurekAlert.

One of the biggest challenges facing the practice of anesthesia are recent changes in infection control rules, according to Clifford Gevirtz, MD, an anesthesiologist with Somnia Anesthesia Services who practices throughout New York and Long Island, N.Y. Some anesthesiologists may…