A “good” merger or affiliation is one that increases the value of health care by reducing costs, improving outcomes, or both, thereby enabling providers to generate and respond to competition. The all-too-common alternative is a merger intended to reduce competition — to ensure referral streams (which would otherwise be earned through superior offerings) or to help providers negotiate higher prices and thereby avoid the difficult work of improving outcomes and efficiency.
The co-author, Thomas H. Lee, now the chief medical officer of Press Ganey, was previously CEO of Partners Community Healthcare, Inc., and Network President for Partners Healthcare System.
The article advocates for everything Partners is not.
SOURCE: Not Running a Hospital – Read entire story here.
