An insightful look at physician integration in today's healthcare market, this book draws on the author's experience and expertise in the field to address those factors relevant to physician integration. She examines topics such as physician reimbursement not keeping pace, declining margins, physician shortages, physician hospital competition, rising practice investment requirements, the return to capitation as a payment mechanism, and changes in physician relationships with health systems. Outlining common characteristics of integrated groups and various organizational structures, the author discusses how to avoid mistakes and provides suggestions and ideas from successfully integrated practices.

1994: The Initial Wave. Why Do It Again: The Drivers of the New Wave. Common Characteristics of Integrated Groups. Elements of Design for the New Integrated Networks. Avoiding the Mistakes of the Past. Antitrust and Other Regulatory Concerns. Options and More Options. A Checklist for the Design Process. Index

Maria K. Todd has been involved in the healthcare industry for most of her working life. She has maintained an independent consulting practice since 1986 and has offered guidance to thousands of clients worldwide in the domains of managed care, healthcare revenue cycle, hospital and medical group administration, physician employment contracting, organizational development, medical tourism, healthcare benefits management, and value-based purchasing.
With her multifocal background and education as a healthcare business administrator, health law paralegal, surgical nurse, HMO provider relations coordinator and certified mediator, and a licensed insurance producer, she has expertise in niche areas such as full-risk capitation, managed-care contracting, and negotiating on behalf of payers, providers, and employers. She brings a wealth of specialized knowledge to the development, implementation, and operation of IPAs, PHOs, MSOs, and other integrated health delivery systems. She draws upon this extensive experience to bring value to physician groups, boards of directors, and ministries of health in more than thirty countries as a teacher, author, speaker, and consultant.
In 2009, she filed for and, after four denials and appeals, successfully prevailed in registering a trademark for a new term of art in the industry for the Globally Integrated Health Delivery System. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office accepted her application in August 2010, granting trademark registration to define the term to describe a game-changing organizational structure and function that converges integrated health delivery, key principles of managed care, patient access, care continuity, electronic health information technology for global electronic exchange of health information to improve quality of healthcare, and health travel/medical tourism. The model is now in operation as Mercury Healthcare International, and is positioned to accommodate the healthcare