Becker's ASC Review

15 ASC Management Answering to a boss Marni Jameson, executive director of the Asso- ciation of Independent Doctors, is all about cost, quality and access. And from her position, inde- pendent physicians possess the trifecta. With employed physicians more worried about hospitals' regulations and expectations, Ms. Jame- son sees a direct relationship — with the decrease of independent physicians comes decreased qual- ity of care. Patients will face considerably higher healthcare costs, as well. "When hospitals buy up physician groups, the al- legiance shis from the patient to the employer," explains Ms. Jameson. "e practitioner is incent- ed by quotas, how many patients they refer, and they are tracked." Independent physicians enjoy the autonomy of their work, whether that's the right to take a day off or implement a new technology. Richard Kube, MD, of Prairie Spine & Pain Institute and Prairie SurgiCare in Peoria, Ill., prefers serving as his own boss. "I as a physician have the ability to say, we're go- ing to do this because I think it's prudent medi- cally to do this," says Dr. Kube. Unrestrained by a boss, Dr. Kube doesn't answer to a executive who is disconnected from the point of care, but to his patients. "I consider my practice disruptive because I continue to raise the bar. I'm compet- ing against myself, I am always motivated to do better. Quotas and metrics are not my limits; my imagination is my limit, and it exceeds any quota because it is ever increasing." Separated from the business side, employed phy- sicians may not experience the stress of main- taining referral bases as urgently as independent physicians and disassociate from the quality of care as well. "ey feel the shi of having to please an employ- er instead of a patient and the back of their con- science is bothersome," Ms. Jameson says of the new wave of physicians moving away from hospi- tal employment to independent positions. Fighting for independence Hospitals and health systems are shiing focus from acquiring other hospitals to purchasing clinics and physician practices, according to an Accenture report. By 2018, it is expected that vertical acquisitions of clinics or physician prac- tices will reach 84 percent of the total provider acquisition model. A trend like this doesn't bode well for Ms. Jame- son's mission. Although she believes the Asso- ciation of Independent Doctors is finally giving independent physicians an organized voice, the possibility of hospital dominance will not be "healthy for America, bottom line." "I'm not hospital-bashing, but the teeter-totter needs to tip back. e hospitals are needed, but they shouldn't control the majority of any spe- cialty in any community," says Ms. Jameson, add- ing that many hospitals have their insurance li- censes and some are providing health insurance, as well. To balance the scale, Ms. Jameson encourages independent physicians to maintain strong refer- ral bases, protect patient records, inform patients about the benefits of visiting independent prac- tices and band together with other independent physicians for group purchasing. The strength of hospitals A hospital-academic hybrid physician, David Geier, MD, prefers working for a larger institution Are Independent Physicians Facing a Dependent Future? (continued from cover) (800) 459-5616 | sales@surgicalnotes.com | www.surgicalnotes.com Contact us today to learn more! The largest management companies and over 20,000 healthcare providers trust Surgical Notes' cutting-edge revenue cycle management solutions and services to enhance the financial strength and performance of their ASCs. ICD-10 Transcription Coding Document Management Central Billing Office EHR It's TIME TO SPEED UP YOUR REVENUE CYCLE.

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