President's Corner
(To see a list of Chicago Medical Society Presidents, past and present, click here.)
Message from the President
(from the Chicago Medical Magazine)
November 2023
Private Equity’s Desire to Help Physicians
WHILE PRIVATE equity has brought influence across many industries and services, this form of financing has zeroed in on physicians and specialized medical groups in particular.
This month’s issue of Chicago Medicine outlines in great detail how this financial force works and some high-profile examples of how physicians and specialists have used private equity to financially support their practices and healthcare delivery.
We as a medical society hope these new models are focused on quality and do not compromise the care of patients in the name of profits. Concerns are increasingly being raised about private equity among some physician groups including the American Medical Association, public advocacy groups and health insurance companies.
And more research is emerging that raises questions on the role of private equity in healthcare. This summer, for example, a research team led by a health policy researcher at the University of Chicago found “increasingly common private equity investments in healthcare are generally associated with higher costs to patients and payers.”
October 2023
Amazon’s Healthcare Push Seeks Broader Access
AMAZON’S $4 billion acquisition of the primary care startup One Medical gives the retail giant official ownership of physician offices and clinics in the Chicago area.
It’s the latest push by retailers into the business of healthcare and the ownership of primary care clinics employing physicians. Already, Walgreens owns and operates physician practices through its ownership of Chicago-based VillageMD, while CVS Health grabbed head- lines earlier this year with its $10 billion purchase of Oak Street Health, another Chicago-based primary care company that specializes in treating seniors insured by Medicare and Medicare Advantage.
Across the country, One Medical operates more than 220 primary care offices in more than two dozen U.S. markets—including the Chicago area. The sites include One Medical primary care offices, senior health offices specific for patients covered by Medicare, direct primary care clinics, and primary care offices for specific employee populations, the company says.
September 2023
Making Sense of Today’s Practice World
AFTER SEEING pay and income drop during the pandemic, compensation is back to
its pre-pandemic levels for specialists and primary care professionals. Despite this, the pay increases of 2022 and earlier this year, in many cases did not keep up with general inflation, aside from the salaries of physicians just starting out as specialists. In fact, pay increases for primary care physicians and specialists were generally one-third to one-half of the inflation rate heading into 2023.
This trend is borne out by various surveys from MGMA and AMN Healthcare Physician Solutions. Our September feature starting on page 20 tells you what you need to know about these salary surveys and trends.
August 2023
Easing the Way to VBC through the EHR
VALUE-BASED care promises to change the way medicine is practiced, the way doctors get paid, and the technology doctors rely on to treat patients.
VBC has the dual goals of better managing patients’ chronic conditions while reducing unnecessary care, duplication of services, and waste.
Yet to reap the promise, clinicians will need more from their EHRs than ever before: robust functionality that can navigate clinical care plans, transmit data to pharmacies and care partners, and ensure patients are meeting their healthcare goals and trending in the right direction.
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