Opinion: Physician practice consolidation: It’s only just begun
As consolidation — especially among private practices — reshapes health care, this question must be answered: How do we consolidate in ways that support independent physicians and improve patients' access…
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.
Here’s an example: In New Jersey, Hackensack University Health Network merged with Meridian Health system in 2016 to create
