title: Hospital-sponsored networks. The rush to consolidate and the future of medical practice.
abstract: As the medical delivery system undergoes fundamental change, there is a growing pressure on hospitals to form networks with physicians. The prime motivation for these entities is to preserve market share and fill beds. There is likewise intense pressure on physicians to join them, even if these networks do not serve their best interests, or the goal of fostering physician-centered practice. A transformation is under way, however, that may well place doctors again in the central role of guiding the new modes of medical practice in the United States.
authors.affiliation: Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: van Amerongen
mesh_terms: D018672:Community Health Planning; D019058:Community Networks / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019033:Delivery of Health Care, Integrated; D018166:Health Care Reform; D006273:Health Facility Merger / Q000639:trends; D006759:Hospital-Physician Joint Ventures / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017146:Models, Organizational; D014481:United States