There are currently 226 physicians-owned hospitals in the country, and 22 are in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, according to Physician Hospitals of America, as cited in the report.
Most of the physician-owned hospitals in the area are affiliated with Baylor Health Care System. According to the report, one in nine Baylor-affiliated physicians has an ownership stake in one of the system’s hospitals.
The report discusses several benefits of physician-owned facilities including the ability to attract the best physicians due to potential profits from ownership, enhanced competition, greater efficiency and amenities often not available at traditional hospitals.
Despite these benefits, some groups oppose physician-owned facilities. The American Hospital Association currently wants to prohibit physicians from referring patients to hospitals in which they have an ownership stake, and several provisions in the healthcare reform bills will limit the growth of new and existing physician-owned hospitals, according to the report.
Read the Dallas Morning News‘ report on physician-owned hospitals.
