What value propositions can private practices bring to the hospital setting?
Molden: Physicians have been forced to compete with hospitals not just on a service basis, but there also is a conflict of commitment or time, in that they are very busy keeping their practices afloat in a difficult environment. The value proposition for Piedmont has been that these physicians have brought their talent and intelligence into our organization. Since we are physician-governed and physician-managed, we also manage the clinical enterprise. We have clinical responsibilities for the cath labs, the cardiovascular operating rooms and the nursing units at Piedmont Hospital. To me, the magic of this alignment has been the improved quality, reduced costs and greater operations efficiency. Bent: We have developed a scorecard that seeks to align incentives throughout the system, affecting the practice, hospital and corporate entity around care, service, financial health, people and growth. Every year, there are new initiatives in each of those areas tied to our overall strategic pla
