title: Making acquired physician practices profitable.
abstract: Many healthcare organizations that acquire physician practices do not realize a return on their investments. Instead, acquisitions often create excess capacity, drive up costs, and reduce an organization's ability to attract managed care contracts. Healthcare systems that acquire physician practices can help ensure that the acquisitions will be profitable by recognizing the benefits and eliminating the barriers to integration, developing a shared strategic vision, developing a progressive governance policy, implementing sound financial management, and achieving critical mass over which to spread fixed costs.
authors.affiliation: Argus/Arista Associates, Northbrook, IL, USA.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Bolinger
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Hough
mesh_terms: D003659:Decision Making, Organizational; D005377:Financial Management, Hospital / Q000379:methods*; D006123:Group Practice / Q000191:economics*; D006759:Hospital-Physician Joint Ventures / Q000191:economics; D007449:Investments; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D010934:Planning Techniques; D011216:Practice Management, Medical / Q000191:economics*; D014481:United States