Disruption has redefined health care in the past decade. For private practice physicians, the biggest disruptor has been consolidation. The trend of local hospitals merging into massive health systems has significantly affected private practices. According to Avalere Health and the Physicians Advisory Institute, between 2016 and 2018 hospitals acquired 8,000 medical practices and 14,000 physicians left private practice to work in hospitals. Hospital growth isn’t the only threat to independence. Big insurance companies are also venturing into the provider side of health care. Independent medical practices are now increasingly looking to private equity to grow and compete in response to these market forces. And private equity is responding, fueling health care consolidation with billions of dollars.
Read the full article: Opinion: Physician Practice Consolidation – It’s Only Just Begun //
Source: https://www.statnews.com/2020/02/27/physician-practice-consolidation-its-only-just-begun