Back to the future for many hospital-physician relationships: where do we go from here?

Many hospitals, health systems, and large physician group practices have experienced the rise and fall of "managed care," over the past decade or so. The impact has been large and has included the rapid growth and acquisition of physician practices, followed by huge financial losses, and subsequent re-organization, divestiture, and bankruptcies. Regardless, physicians, hospitals, and health systems still face the burden of a rising demand for patient care services.