If you want a better understanding of the business practices going on at the Cleveland Clinic, you should take a look at a recent Newsweek article. It is titled “The hospital that could cure healthcare.”
The article discusses many strategies the Cleveland Clinic is using which allow it to run like a business. Some of those strategies include salaried doctors, a team approach to healthcare and tracking metrics of performance tied to physicians. These are all good, positive, business practices in my opinion.
I would add that there are actually a number of healthcare systems that could serve as a good business model for other hospitals, including Geisinger Health System, Kaiser, Virginia Mason and Intermountain Healthcare.
What they have in common is a relationship with physicians - either salaried or shared incentives - that move away from the fee-for-service model. These shared incentives help drive change.
Despite the examples noted here, a looming question remains in terms of healthcare reform in this country: How do you bring change to a medical delivery culture that does not embrace these models and will fight politically to preserve the status quo?
Unless the federal government is willing to establish reimbursement programs that require such collaboration, there will be no real movement to adopt the lessons learned by these progressive organizations.
Mike Stephens blogs regularly at Action for Better Healthcare.