ACPE Survey Shows Growing Acceptance Of Integrated, Employed Physicians

New model viewed as better for communication, patient care and job satisfaction

The current move toward an integrated physician model is winning the approval of both health care leaders and the physicians they employ, according to a survey conducted by the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE).

The benefits of the new model include improved communication, greater transparency, better physician job satisfaction and a more patient-centered focus, according to the survey respondents

Peter Angood, MD, FRCS(C), FACS, MCCM, president and CEO of ACPE, said it’s a promising sign for the health care industry as a whole.

“This is a strong and important trend that is essential for health care to become more successful in delivering what the public actually wants,” Angood said. “The ultimate goal is higher quality, safer care that’s more efficient, more personalized and is really customer-focused as an industry.”

The survey, which was sent electronically to ACPE members and completed by 617, found that 80 percent of participants either agreed or strongly agreed that the employed physicians within their health care organization were satisfied with the current integrated physician model.

When asked to gauge the feelings of administrators, the results were nearly identical, with 85 percent either agreeing or strongly agreeing that administrators were satisfied.

The trend toward physician employment exploded back in the 1990s but it was short-lived. Many physicians disliked the model, primarily because they didn’t want to give up their autonomy and found they could earn more money on their own.

Today, the health care landscape is very different. With the move toward value-based payment and population health management, the need for team-based care grows increasingly apparent. As such, hospitals are once again acquiring a growing number of physician practices.

Not all of the ACPE survey participants were enthusiastic supporters of the employed physician model. Some said there were still some serious flaws, particularly in the areas of physician engagement and alignment. A slim majority, 53 percent, said employed physicians were fully integrated into their hospital or health system, while 47 percent said they were not.

Likewise, when asked whether their organization had an incentive plan to encourage and reward physicians for being engaged in practice performance initiatives, the results were nearly evenly split, with 51 percent saying “yes” and 49 percent answering “no.”

Survey respondents were also asked to name the elements essential for success as an employed physician model. The answers named most frequently were appropriate IT support, aligned incentives and, most notably, strong physician leadership.

“The C-suite needs to bring physicians to the table (employed and voluntary) and discuss performance improvement and financial success and have the physicians share ideas,” wrote Patrice Hirning, MD, an internal medicine physician from Salt Lake City, UT.

Paul Gausman, DO, a family physician from Erie, PA, added: “Health care is changing rapidly and decisions are being made about it by people who do not interact with patients. Physician leaders provide insight across that divide and successful organizations will be the ones listening to them.”

For complete survey results, articles about employed physicians and a video featuring physician leaders discussing integration, visit www.acpe.org/employed.

About ACPE
ACPE is the nation’s oldest and largest medical association that is solely focused on leadership education and management training for physicians. The organization represents more than 11,000 high-level physician leaders from health care organizations across the U.S. and in over 45 countries throughout the world.