http://www.ecgmc.com/ Publications Library en-us Wed, 22 May 2013 22:36:28 PDT Wed, 22 May 2013 22:36:28 PDT ECG Management Consultants CMS http://www.ecgmc.com/thought-leadership/?cid=18&pid=2203#pub2203 Hospitals across the nation are increasingly turning to call coverage compensation arrangements as a means of providing vital medical services and remaining in compliance with federal law. While the number and complexity of these agreements have grown, many healthcare organizations are entering into such contracts despite uncertainty that the terms are both legally defensible and financially prudent. This Diagnostic addresses some of the most pressing and frequently asked questions about call coverage arrangements and suggests a robust, thoroughly vetted methodology for arriving at payments that are individually tailored to a given arrangement and remain within the appropriate market range. Fri, 01 Mar 2013 00:00:00 PST http://www.ecgmc.com/thought-leadership/?cid=18&pid=2227#pub2227 In the next few years, we expect compensation and production trends to be most impacted by the continued shortage of primary care physicians, increased demand for specialty care, and implementation of key provisions of healthcare reform. This presentation discusses physician market trends, nonproductivity compensation frameworks, benchmark data, compensation plan examples, and how to align compensation with performance. Fri, 01 Mar 2013 00:00:00 PST http://www.ecgmc.com/thought-leadership/?cid=18&pid=2221#pub2221 Physician compensation and performance incentives are undergoing a fundamental shift as healthcare providers embrace value-based delivery models. Physician organizations generally recognize that production-driven plans will need to evolve to reflect changing economics, but there is a reluctance to move too far ahead of reimbursement changes. In this presentation, we review the impact of healthcare reform on provider compensation and plan methodologies, including emerging physician compensation plan trends; compensation trends relative to production for primary care, surgical, medical, and hospital-based specialties; market trends in APC compensation; and value-based compensation considerations. Fri, 01 Feb 2013 00:00:00 PST http://www.ecgmc.com/thought-leadership/?cid=18&pid=2207#pub2207 Physician practices, whether independent or hospital-affiliated, are experiencing financial instability driven by rising costs, shrinking reimbursement, ongoing shortages, and mounting regulatory compliance requirements. This presentation discusses key steps that can be taken to attain financial, operational, and organizational success in your physician practice and specifically identifies and provides examples of trends that are driving a greater need for practice improvement and benchmarking. Tue, 01 Jan 2013 00:00:00 PST http://www.ecgmc.com/thought-leadership/?cid=18&pid=2191#pub2191 Healthcare organizations are mobilizing their physician and administrative leaders to expand their focus beyond volume to include service experience, cost, quality, and outcomes. If these organizations are to succeed, substantial work is required to create the care delivery model of tomorrow while they continue to provide care today. Probably the most critical elements in this transition are physicians who have the most direct line of sight on both cost and quality. Not surprisingly, there has been a surge in interest in transitioning to physician compensation systems that are more closely aligned with the value-based future. However, in the flurry of activity surrounding paying doctors based on “value,” we repeatedly see healthcare organizations with a strong sense of urgency despite a poorly defined direction. This Insight provides the information necessary to help you decide how to best manage the pace and implications of payment reform on physician compensation within your organization. Sat, 01 Dec 2012 00:00:00 PST http://www.ecgmc.com/thought-leadership/?cid=18&pid=2137#pub2137 As hospitals, health systems, and academic medical centers (AMCs) begin to evaluate their first series of physician transactions (e.g., employment, Professional Services Agreement [PSA]) that occurred during the past 3 to 5 years, many are now revisiting the fundamentals of physician compensation. The central challenge for most organizations is to develop physician incentives that drive productivity and quality while ensuring that compensation remains grounded in the fiscal reality of the organization – an aspect of plan design that is often overlooked (e.g., during the 1990s). As such, the long-term financial feasibility of past approaches that merely index compensation to benchmarks (e.g., median compensation per WRVU) and assume health systems take on full financial risk are beginning to be questioned. This Executive Briefing highlights five trends that are emerging nationally and includes recommendations for organizations seeking to take a proactive approach to physician compensation plan design in this rapidly evolving market. Thu, 01 Nov 2012 00:00:00 PDT http://www.ecgmc.com/thought-leadership/?cid=18&pid=2175#pub2175 While healthcare organizations nationwide are striving to avoid losses from practice acquisitions, many are still taking a hit. This presentation examines the financial life cycle of an employed practice and how long it takes to achieve profitability. It also provides guidelines and principles for maximizing performance, including how to measure financial and operating performance; determine an ideal network size; develop models for leadership, compensation, productivity, and EMR implementation; and address performance and quality issues. Mon, 01 Oct 2012 00:00:00 PDT http://www.ecgmc.com/thought-leadership/?cid=18&pid=2177#pub2177 Faced with impending physician shortages, how can healthcare organizations improve access and patient throughput? This presentation examines how The Carle Foundation redesigned the scheduling process, physician work standards, and delivery model to center around the patient and grow market share. In addition, it describes how executives worked with physician leaders to set expectations and performance standards. Mon, 01 Oct 2012 00:00:00 PDT http://www.ecgmc.com/thought-leadership/?cid=18&pid=2179#pub2179 Accountable care organizations are under way, and healthcare organizations are weighing their options. This panel discussion offers a discussion among health system executives about their accountable care strategies. Mon, 01 Oct 2012 00:00:00 PDT http://www.ecgmc.com/thought-leadership/?cid=18&pid=2151#pub2151 Is your organization struggling with integrating your service and physician group structures? How are the roles of your leadership and management team evolving in this changing environment? Right or wrong, the idea of private practice is fading, as the majority of physician practices are now owned by hospitals. This presentation explores how organizations are structurally evolving and creating new management positions in response to this transition. Sat, 01 Sep 2012 00:00:00 PDT http://www.ecgmc.com/thought-leadership/?cid=18&pid=2153#pub2153 With the accelerating pace of physician practice acquisitions, there is increasing competition for the critical resources (human and financial) necessary to complete these transactions; therefore, hospitals must carefully prioritize acquisition opportunities. This session presents a new strategic framework, the FAST (Financial Impact and Strategic Alignment of the Transaction) Matrix, which can be applied to consistently assess the strategic and financial implications of any potential practice acquisition and to assign a priority ranking to the opportunity. Sat, 01 Sep 2012 00:00:00 PDT http://www.ecgmc.com/thought-leadership/?cid=18&pid=2163#pub2163 Organizations that do not have a cohesive and proactive physician employment strategy are far more likely to view their employed physician network as a financial black hole than a valuable strategic asset. This presentation discusses steps that can be taken to attain financial and operational success with hospital-employed physician organizations. This includes reviewing methodologies and tactics utilized to improve financial and operational performance and discussing specific tools that will assist in driving performance improvements. Sat, 01 Sep 2012 00:00:00 PDT http://www.ecgmc.com/thought-leadership/?cid=18&pid=2125#pub2125 Physician compensation and performance incentives are undergoing a fundamental shift as healthcare providers embrace value-based delivery models. This webinar explores several important aspects of redesigning physician compensation plans that all organizations must consider. This includes the group culture, compensation plan elements, process and infrastructure, and transition planning. Additionally, this webinar discusses the conceptual options that represent a path to integration with physicians to drive toward value. Sun, 01 Jul 2012 00:00:00 PDT http://www.ecgmc.com/thought-leadership/?cid=18&pid=2029#pub2029 Your organization has successfully acquired a group of oncologists. Now what? If your organization is like most, administration will be keenly interested in the financial performance of the group. This presentation explores a variety of revenue enhancement and expense control measures that organizations may utilize to improve the financial performance of employed oncologist groups and includes a combination of near- and longer-term strategies. Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT http://www.ecgmc.com/thought-leadership/?cid=18&pid=2033#pub2033 The primary role of finance is to plan for, acquire, and utilize resources to maximize the efficiency and value of the organization. Sharper financial performance is needed for today’s physician groups. This presentation explores the tools, resources, and dashboards that can appropriately articulate the essential information each physician needs to know in order to address medical group challenges. Once armed with the latest information, physician compensation can become a topic of conversation leading to patient satisfaction, quality, and citizenship. Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 PDT http://www.ecgmc.com/thought-leadership/?cid=18&pid=1951#pub1951 Attaining meaningful integration with providers is no easy task. The complexities involved, as well as the tools required to making integration initiatives successful and sustainable, require both clear vision and sophisticated expertise. Among the most important lessons is matching the management of the employed physician network to the changing needs of the network over time. Specifically, there are four overlapping phases of integration - Network Expansion, Operational Excellence, Clinical Coordination, and Physician Partnership. This Diagnostic focuses on the phases of physician integration and discusses the management skills that are most appropriate to each phase. Sun, 01 Apr 2012 00:00:00 PDT http://www.ecgmc.com/thought-leadership/?cid=18&pid=2045#pub2045 Right or wrong, the idea of private practice is fading, as the majority of physician practices are now owned by hospitals. As such, provider success in the future will be measured on the ability to drive quality and service in an effective and efficient manner. This presentation examines three questions framing physician employment: Why physician employment, and how does it align with the organization’s strategy? How do we effectively engage and integrate the physicians into the organization? And how do we monitor performance and measure the value of this relationship over time? Sun, 01 Apr 2012 00:00:00 PDT http://www.ecgmc.com/thought-leadership/?cid=18&pid=1967#pub1967 Market stakeholders are attempting to determine how to best position themselves as the healthcare industry becomes increasingly complex in light of reform and the economic crisis. As a result of these pressures, hospitals are increasingly seeking to employ physicians to create greater alignment. Physician alignment models provide varying degrees of benefit. In order to evaluate the models objectively, it is important to consider their broader implications on an organization’s overarching objectives. This presentation examines how organizations can be successful in implementing any employment strategy and explores potential alternatives to employment. Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:00:00 PST http://www.ecgmc.com/thought-leadership/?cid=18&pid=1975#pub1975 This presentation discusses the steps that can be taken to improve the financial and operational performance of employed oncology practices within your organization. This includes understanding the operational and financial challenges typically faced by oncology practices, reviewing methodologies and tactics utilized to improve performance, and discussing specific tools that will assist in driving performance improvements. Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:00:00 PST http://www.ecgmc.com/thought-leadership/?cid=18&pid=1939#pub1939 The acquisition of independent practices by hospitals as a strategy for physician network growth is becoming increasingly mainstream. As a result, various recommendations and tools have become prevalent in terms of evaluating which practices to acquire and how to ultimately complete the transaction; common practice is for an organization to allocate most of its effort to this acquisition planning. But once the documents are signed, it is important to understand how to introduce and integrate these practices into the physician network and the overall health system; therefore, best practice is to increase the overall level of effort so that proper attention can be paid to post-transaction planning. This Executive Briefing will examine the three critical components in effectively on-boarding an acquired practice: practice orientation, practice manager proficiency, and EMR planning. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST