They say Private Practice is dying! They say the independent physician is a dinosaur!nnI say private practice is changing, becoming more efficient, more flexible and much more capable! I think the dinosaur in the room (apologies to the elephant) is the ‘everything for everyone 24/7 huge hospital’ which is constantly scrambling to fill beds!nnWe are currently living in a time of short term solutions (seriously, go outside and look around!). In order to fill the beds and feed the dinosaur (not meant to be disparaging, I love hospitals and hospital people!) the hospitals have engaged an old strategy: Employ the docs and funnel the patients! It will work and work well in some markets. It will unwind itself in most, just as it did 10 or so years ago because at the end of the day the math does not work! (We in health care seem to have a ten year idea cycle.)nnThe longer term solution to A) the Cost Curve of health care, B) the Health of the Population and C) the Vitality of Physicians is to have and support Independent physicians who understand and control cost, smaller hospitals which have a specific specialty focus with much less bed days.nn
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About R. Todd Welter • MS, CPCnFounder and President of Welter Healthcare Partners
nMr. Welter has over 25 years of healthcare industry experience assisting physicians and other providers, hospitals and other facilities with the business side of medicine. Through strategic planning and analysis, Mr. Welter’s main focus is to strategically increase revenues and profitability in this radically changing health care environment. Mr. Welter has a Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership from Regis University in Denver where he has had an appointment as affiliate faculty in the School for Professional Studies for over ten years. In addition, Mr. Welter holds a faculty appointment at the University of Denver’s University College. In the Health Care Leadership program he teaches Macro Economics in Health Care and Innovative Strategies and Change in Health Care to graduate students.