71H - Lessons From the Field: Maturing Medical Group Governance to Align Strategy With Clinical Practice

Tuesday, March 21

4:30–5:30 p.m.

The accelerated pace of hospitals and other entities acquiring physician practices shows no sign of slowing. According to a report from the Physicians Advocacy Institute and Avalere Health, as of January 2022, nearly three quarters of U.S. physicians (74%) are employed by hospitals, health systems or corporate entities. This is up from 69% of U.S. physicians the prior year.

The implications of this to healthcare delivery are many. Some warn that this “startling shift toward the corporatization of healthcare” across the country could result in inappropriate influence on the practice of medicine. Others describe a widening disconnect between those who make strategic business decisions and the practicing providers caring for patients.

Structured medical group governance is a concrete approach to mitigate these (and other) risks. With structured medical group governance, organizations can better align strategic decisions with practicing provider realities. Providing practicing physicians a venue to discuss, unify and lead healthcare transformation supports a practice culture that ensures patient-centered care.

Since 2019, Providence, a national not-for-profit Catholic health system providing services across seven states with nearly 9,000 employed or affiliated physicians, has designed and matured a multitiered medical group governance structure. This session will share the journey that Providence has made in designing and fine-tuning this structure.

Learning Objectives

• Understand the importance of medical group governance within the context of today’s healthcare landscape.
• Hear a first-hand account of Providence’s journey toward a mature governance structure.