Hospital-physician relations. Beyond courtship to the ties that bind

Years ago, perhaps when relationships were simpler and possibly more enduring, physicians had one request of hospitals, namely, "Give us a good workshop in which to practice." With increased diversification and competition in the health care environment, their demands have become more complex, even as hospitals have become more eager to please. Hospitals and physicians know they need each other, but the hospital usually plays the role of the suitor. It is a role that can involve wasteful investments in time, energy and money if the courtship isn't inspired by real knowledge of what physicians actually want from the relationship.