Can the ambulatory practice save the hospital?

A recent trend has independent medical practices throwing in the towel and selling to hospitals in hopes of eliminating the financial burdens of private practice. Incentive payments, tiered fee schedules, and patient collaboration place the primary care physician at the center of the ever-evolving healthcare payment system. Hospital services represent a high-cost, highly scrutinized line item with reform programs emphasizing a reduction in many of the services hospitals rely on today for their revenue. In an environment moving from volume to value, and featuring Accountable Care Organizations and Patient-Centered Medical Homes, hospitals may soon turn to these same medical practices as the source of their financial future.