Edward Sim
President of Physician Integration
Baptist Health
Jacksonville, Fla.
You’ve recently moved into a new role at Baptist Health – president of physician integration. What will that job entail?
I’m going to be working with our employed physicians, as well as non-employed physicians who partner with us. Our relationships with physicians are becoming more numerous and more complex, but we still have the same goal of improving clinical integration and enhancing quality of care. We have a lot of physicians who have privileges at Baptist who are not employed. We want to preserve that autonomy if that’s what a physician desires. We are not trying to employ physicians simply to get more physicians. There needs to be a clear fit between a physician practice and Baptist Health.
Is there more demand from physicians for direct employment?
Yes, the demand has increased significantly due to economic pressures and the uncertainty that physicians face regarding changes to reimbursement and regulation. There’s no question that it has increased. We have a primary care network of almost 100 physicians, but our new emphasis will take it to the next level. But I must stress that integration is not directed only at employed physicians. One way we can do that is assist a practice with recruitment if we determine that there is community need for more physicians in a particular specialty.
What are the major issues for physicians in your region?
Reimbursement is the biggest issue. Physicians want to protect income levels in the face of rising costs. Reimbursement is not increasing, but supply and labor costs are rising. It’s harder to run a physician practice now than it has ever been.
What are your long-term goals for physician-hospital relations in the Jacksonville area?
It may sound nebulous, but we want to create a structure for the physicians with whom we affiliate that gives them access to the medical expertise we maintain at Baptist Health. I don’t think about integration in terms of number of physicians in a network, but making sure we focus on the ultimate goal of improving care quality. Healthcare organizations have begun to realize that relationships with physicians are becoming increasingly complex, so they must emphasize the management of those relationships. That’s what I will focus on in this new role, and I think you will see more health systems creating these positions over the next few years.