Revisiting the garden: medicine and management in the 1990s

The importance of effective hospital-physician relationships is acknowledged by all. Yet few empirically based guidelines exist for strengthening such relationships. Based on an in-depth examination of ten sites' experience, this article suggests a number of approaches and ideas for forming more effective hospital-physician relationships in the 1990s. Among the issues addressed include the nature of hospital-physician collaboration and competition, embracing risk, forging new forms of partnership, creating value for purchasers, and grooming younger physicians for leadership roles.