Physician Alignment and Integration
As hospitals and health systems evaluate the evolving nature of how best to align with members of their medical staffs and other key physician leaders, our professionals have been at the forefront of the market to advise regarding the assessment of current and anticipated strategies, tactics and related organizational requirements for effective partnerships. We have proven experience in the development and implementation of mutually beneficial strategies that frequently utilize a “mixed-model” approach, including relative “soft” tactics with a broader segment of the medical staff (e.g., joint IT/EMR development to enhance clinical integration, shared medical staff development planning and recruitment assistance to ensure sufficient community needs are addressed, etc.) to relative “hard” tactics that involve a growing but smaller segment of the medical staff (e.g., exclusive professional services agreement relationships, employment, joint ventures, etc.). Each year we complete more than 100 such assignments during which we engage physicians in the physician/hospital alignment change process.
Affiliation Strategies and Models
An expanded summary of some of the available affiliation relationships and initiatives that we have assisted our clients with include:
- Physician Relations Management and Communications
- IT / EMR assessments
- Medical Staff Development Planning
- Physician Recruitment and Retention Agreements
- Physician management and support relationships
- Professional Services Agreement relationships
- Coverage Services Agreements
- Medical Directorship Program
- Joint Center of Excellence and Clinical Institute Development
- Joint Network and Payor Contracting
- Leased staffing / equipment models
- Joint equity/ownership ventures
- Full employment
- Other hybrid models and relationships
We further offer comprehensive physician compensation and valuation services related to all of the models and strategies above.
CASE STUDY:
Regional Health System Physician/Hospital Collaboration; Affiliation Strategies and Models
Navigant was engaged to provide strategic development and implementation assistance in a merger of a Kansas-based medical center and a large health system. We initially recommended a reorganization of the medical center by developing a physician services organization (PSO) as a parallel division to the other hospital services divisions. The PSO included the oversight of all integration relationships. We encouraged the utilization of a “mixed model” approach to provide integration and affiliation opportunities (and movement between the models) for interested and qualified physicians. Within the PSO were the fully integrated practices (employed and foundation practices) under the organization. Additionally, we also assisted in the development of a hybrid organization to conduct turn-key practice management services for affiliated practices and to serve as a joint-contracting arm for managed care relationships beyond the dominant healthcare plans owned by the health system. The Navigant team also recommended a unified compensation program based upon productivity, qualitative and managed care performance.
The health system retained most of the core employed physicians over the four years and grew the organization to more than 180 physicians with continued positive impact on the ability to deliver desired services and enhance the health system’s market position. Through a policy of flexibility, physicians who have elected to leave the employment model have remained affiliated with the system and continue to enhance the premier provider network.
See Navigant's Health System Strategy services.