Abstract
[This is an excerpt.] The consolidation of hospital systems and physician practices under a single corporate umbrella has resulted in major structural changes to the practice of medicine. In 2012, 60% of practices in the US were physician-owned, 23.4% of practices had some hospital ownership, and only 5.6% of physicians were direct hospital employees.1 After a surge in acquisitions of physician practices over the decade, and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fraction of physicians employed by hospitals or health systems reached 52.1% and 21.8% by other corporate entities in 2022, for a total of an estimated 74% of practicing physicians.2 Many physicians now are employed by consolidated corporate health care systems that span many different communities and increasingly are spread across multiple states. [To read more, click View Resource.]
This resource is found in our Actionable Strategies for Workers & Learners