Doctor-hospital integrated practice

The doctor-hospital integrated practice is one possible strategy oncologists may wish to employ in order to stay financially solvent in the current unstable health-care environment. Before entering into an arrangement with a particular hospital, the physician should compare the institution's financial health with that of similar hospitals. The practitioner also should review the hospital's current managed-care contracts to ensure that he or she will have access to new patients. Another crucial issue is whether the patients will belong to the physician or to the hospital, in particular whether patients can "follow" the physician if he or she leaves the hospital. Finally, the physician needs to consider whether the arrangement will provide the level of intellectual satisfaction he or she desires. The next step is to explore the various possible doctor-hospital relationships. These include a simple purchase of the practice by the hospital, renting space in a hospital-financed cancer center, or a hybrid of these two arrangements.