Foreword
As the saying goes, times are a-changin'. Like society itself, healthcare has evolved rapidly in the United States over the last 50 years, in response to technological, economic, demographic, political, and related influences. Passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (healthcare reform) promises to accelerate this evolution in a variety of significant ways. I've specialized in healthcare for 25 years and I've never experienced such changes to the healthcare system. Healthcare reform is definitely a game changer.
I believe the current iteration of healthcare reform will have a transformative effect on our healthcare system. This time, however, reform will not be the false start we saw in the 1990s, but rather now has the ability to usher in substantive and lasting changes.
So under reform, can the independent, private physician practice model sustain itself in the future? Will physicians in the future be compelled to consolidate with other practitioners, become hospital employees, or align with large hospitals and health systems for capital, administrative, and technical resources?
We know there will be emerging practice models and they will likely vary by region. Large Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), private practice medical homes, large independent groups, large aligned groups, community health centers (CHCs), concierge practices, and small aligned groups will proliferate. Healthcare reform will increase a healthcare provider's legal compliance ...
