title: Direct contracting: employers look to hospital-physician partnerships to control costs.
abstract: Direct contracting is gaining popularity as employers seek new ways to control health care costs. Eliminating third parties like HMOs and PPOs can create long-term savings, but it's much more complicated than many hospitals realize, experts warn.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Johnsson
mesh_terms: D003132:Commerce / Q000458:organization & administration; D003284:Contract Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends*; D003363:Cost Control / Q000379:methods; D017049:Employer Health Costs; D006264:Health Benefit Plans, Employee / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends*; D006764:Hospitals, Community / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends; D011243:Preferred Provider Organizations / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends*; D014481:United States; D014600:Utilization Review