- Sep 26, 2000
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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/01/b...nd-for-doctors-nationwide.html?pagewanted=all
the citys largest hospital, St. Lukes Health System, began rapidly buying physician practices all over town, from general practitioners to cardiologists to orthopedic surgeons.
Today, Boise is a medical battleground.
A little over half of the 1,400 doctors in southwestern Idaho are employed by St. Lukes or its smaller competitor, St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center.
Many of the independent doctors complain that both hospitals, but especially St. Lukes, have too much power over every aspect of the medical pipeline, dictating which tests and procedures to perform, how much to charge and which patients to admit.
In interviews, they said their referrals from doctors now employed by St. Lukes had dropped sharply, while patients, in many cases, were paying more there for the same level of treatment.
Boises experience reflects a growing national trend toward consolidation. Across the country, doctors who sold their practices and signed on as employees have similar criticisms. In lawsuits and interviews, they describe growing pressure to meet the financial goals of their new employers often by performing unnecessary tests and procedures or by admitting patients who do not need a hospital stay.
In Boise, just a few weeks ago, even the hospitals were at war. St. Alphonsus went to court seeking an injunction to stop St. Lukes from buying another physician practice group, arguing that the hospitals dominance in the market was enabling it to drive up prices and to demand exclusive or preferential agreements with insurers. The price of a colonoscopy has quadrupled in some instances, and in other cases St. Lukes charges nearly three times as much for laboratory work as nearby facilities, according to the St. Alphonsus complaint.
Federal and state officials have also joined the fray. In one of a handful of similar cases, the Federal Trade Commission and the Idaho attorney general are investigating whether St. Lukes has become too powerful in Boise, using its newfound leverage to stifle competition.
Yep. The same tactics that has conglomerated American businesses into near monopolies is now coming to a doctor near you.
Sadly, the "free market" apologists will be out in force telling us they are only getting bigger and taking over markets so they can lower prices and give better services.
the citys largest hospital, St. Lukes Health System, began rapidly buying physician practices all over town, from general practitioners to cardiologists to orthopedic surgeons.
Today, Boise is a medical battleground.
A little over half of the 1,400 doctors in southwestern Idaho are employed by St. Lukes or its smaller competitor, St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center.
Many of the independent doctors complain that both hospitals, but especially St. Lukes, have too much power over every aspect of the medical pipeline, dictating which tests and procedures to perform, how much to charge and which patients to admit.
In interviews, they said their referrals from doctors now employed by St. Lukes had dropped sharply, while patients, in many cases, were paying more there for the same level of treatment.
Boises experience reflects a growing national trend toward consolidation. Across the country, doctors who sold their practices and signed on as employees have similar criticisms. In lawsuits and interviews, they describe growing pressure to meet the financial goals of their new employers often by performing unnecessary tests and procedures or by admitting patients who do not need a hospital stay.
In Boise, just a few weeks ago, even the hospitals were at war. St. Alphonsus went to court seeking an injunction to stop St. Lukes from buying another physician practice group, arguing that the hospitals dominance in the market was enabling it to drive up prices and to demand exclusive or preferential agreements with insurers. The price of a colonoscopy has quadrupled in some instances, and in other cases St. Lukes charges nearly three times as much for laboratory work as nearby facilities, according to the St. Alphonsus complaint.
Federal and state officials have also joined the fray. In one of a handful of similar cases, the Federal Trade Commission and the Idaho attorney general are investigating whether St. Lukes has become too powerful in Boise, using its newfound leverage to stifle competition.
Yep. The same tactics that has conglomerated American businesses into near monopolies is now coming to a doctor near you.
Sadly, the "free market" apologists will be out in force telling us they are only getting bigger and taking over markets so they can lower prices and give better services.
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