Refocusing the hospital/physician relationship. It's time for physicians to share the risk

Market forces are destroying the traditional hospital/physician relationship and replacing it with something far better suited to a price-sensitive environment marked by severe excess capacity. Many hospitals are exploring ways to alter a hospital/physician relationship that has survived--more of less unchanged--for nearly 70 years. Managing change of this magnitude is a difficult task and many hospital/physician communities have been seriously divided by resulting conflicts. On the other hand, a price competitive environment frequently rewards innovation and leadership and penalizes conservatism. Charting a course in these troubled waters is a challenge for healthcare executives, but if we are successful in managing this change, our facilities, our communities and our patients will benefit.