Orthopedic group offers alternative to hospital employment

More than two dozen orthopedic practices have formed a joint corporation, hoping to avoid the financial and regulatory pressures that have driven many physicians to hospital employment. The consortium, called the Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics, includes 25 practices and 130 physicians in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia. The move comes as independent physicians across the country migrate toward employment at hospitals or large healthcare systems. Since 2000, the percentage of physicians who run their own practice has dropped from 57% to 39%, according to research by Accenture. A study by the Medical Group Management Association shows that hospital employment jumped 75% over the same period.

Source: Washington Post