As hospitals acquire more doctor practices, what is the effect on the prices for medical services? In a HCFO-funded study [1], J. Michael McWilliams, Harvard Medical School, and colleagues sought to answer this question. They found that hospital-owned physician practices have been associated with higher outpatient care prices. The findings were published in JAMA Internal Medicine [2], and his work was recently featured in the Wall Street Journal [3], Boston Globe [4], Modern Healthcare [5], and Reuters [6].
Links:
[1] http://www.hcfo.org/grants/price-data-solicitation-grant-effects-physician-concentration-physician-hospital-integration-
[2] http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2463591
[3] http://www.wsj.com/articles/new-study-on-hospitals-acquiring-doctor-practices-seen-fueling-debate-1445266894?linkId=18062383&alg=y
[4] https://www.bostonglobe.com/2015/10/19/when-hospitals-buy-doctors-practices-patients-pay/bsK3hRYRyCNQFnqsD18WKK/story.html
[5] http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20151019/BLOG/151019915?utm_source=modernhealthcare&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20151019
[6] http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/19/us-health-costs-healthcare-idUSKCN0SD27R20151019
[7] http://www.hcfo.org/topics/coordination-care
[8] http://www.hcfo.org/topics/legal-and-regulatory-environment
[9] http://www.hcfo.org/topics/organization-and-supply-care
[10] http://www.hcfo.org/topics/price-data-and-transparency
[11] http://www.hcfo.org/topics/provider-payment-and-behavior