The rise and fall of a hospital-sponsored group practice

Each physician group, network, or management services organization developed as part of an "integration" strategy over the past decade is unique. The current status of each of these entities is based on a variety of factors, including the local health care economy and environment, the sponsoring organization, and the entity's leadership. Much of the current news concerning integration initiatives is negative, and significant operating losses and the disillusionment of the participants have been reported. It is important to study the failures, however, for despite the unique factors impacting each one there are universal lessons to be learned in every case. This article chronicles the causes of one integrated group practice's breakup after five years of operation and the process undertaken to return the physicians to small independent practices.