Alliances becoming more critical. Interview by Donald E.L. Johnson

Too many hospitals underutilize the services of their alliances, primarily because of lack of commitment from the CEO and a failure to involve physicians in management, administration and planning, according to David P. Hunter, chief executive officer of The Hunter Group, in an interview with Donald E.L. Johnson, editor and publisher of Health Care Strategic Management. Increasingly, alliances will offer new kinds of information and data services. They may even take on medical training and educational functions to improve their members' competitive edge. In any event, Hunter says, alliances must do more to involve physicians in hospitalwide cost, quality and performance issues.