Hospitalist Leaders of Private Practice Groups Form New Organization
Phoenix, Ariz. - Citing concerns over a variety of challenges confronting the fast-growing field of private practice hospitalist medicine, leading hospitalist group CEOs met for a two-day retreat.
04.30.2007
Phoenix, Ariz. - Citing concerns over a variety of challenges confronting the fast-growing field of private practice hospitalist medicine, leading hospitalist group CEOs met for a two-day retreat March 13 and 14, 2007 to launch a new organization called The Phoenix Group.
Formed as a think-tank, The Phoenix Group’s mission is to provide leadership and focus to the many issues facing the thousands of hospitalists in private practice in the U.S. today.
Originally the idea of Dr. Adam Singer, CEO of IPC – The Hospitalist Company, The Phoenix Group was inspired by the success in the 1980s of the Jackson Hole Group, whose ideas came to form the basis of today’s managed care programs.
The group of 13 industry leaders gathered in Phoenix to prioritize the key issues confronting all private practitioners of hospitalist medicine. In addition to Dr. Singer, the attendees included: Ronald Greeno MD, CMO, Cogent Healthcare; Michael Gregory MD, CEO, Apogee Medical; Steven Houff MD, CEO, Hospitalists Management Group; Kirk Matthews, CEO, Inpatient Management Inc; Krishan Nagda MD, CEO, Central Florida Inpatient Medicine; Sandy Peterson PhD, CEO, Hospital Inpatient Management Services; Robert Reynolds MD, CEO, PrimeDoc Inc; Marium Steele MD, CEO, Texas Inpatient PA; Darren Swenson MD, CEO, Total Care Management Associates; Michael Wagner MD, CEO, EmCare Hospitalist Division; George Wilcox MD, CEO, ADMIT and Robert Young MD, CEO, Eagle Hospital Physicians.
“The Phoenix Group is not just an academic exercise,” said Dr. Singer. “It is comprised of leaders in our field rolling up their shirtsleeves to make sure that the resources and processes are in place to improve the delivery of hospitalist medicine five and ten years down the road. The group’s members already represent nearly 10% of all practicing hospitalists, and this was just our first meeting.”
“This is still a new field with explosive growth ahead," added Dr. Reynolds of PrimeDoc. “We private practitioners have to take responsibility for our future, and by doing so can have a very positive influence on how medical care is delivered in the entire country."
The Phoenix Group expects to maintain regular contact and interaction among participants to ensure its ideas and recommended actions have a direct impact on the industry’s evolution. In the first meeting, a number of topics were discussed and debated. Many issues emerged with broad support and consensus for action. Details of those discussions will be released in a white paper within the next several weeks.
”One of our goals is to work with other like-minded groups that can help us improve the hospitalist specialty, such as the Society of Hospital Medicine and the American Medical Association,” commented Dr. Robert Young of Eagle Hospital Physicians.” Among the Phoenix Group leaders we have extensive contacts throughout the healthcare community to draw upon and we hope to bring all of the parties together for the betterment of hospital medicine."
With the Phoenix Group’s first meeting deemed a success, other private practice group leaders are expected to attend the next meeting, which is being planned for Phoenix in September.
About Hospitalists
Hospitalists are specially trained physicians who work in close consultation with primary care physicians and appropriate specialists to manage a patient’s entire hospital experience, driving the healthcare delivery system toward better, more patient-focused care. As the nation’s fastest-growing medical specialty, hospitalists have been shown to increase the quality of care and reduce healthcare costs. Hospitalists also provide patients the added benefit of having a physician on-site to oversee care, answer questions and ensure the smooth coordination of hospital and post-discharge services. There are over 20,000 practicing hospitalists in the U.S. today. That number is expected to reach 30,000 by 2010.
Formed as a think-tank, The Phoenix Group’s mission is to provide leadership and focus to the many issues facing the thousands of hospitalists in private practice in the U.S. today.
Originally the idea of Dr. Adam Singer, CEO of IPC – The Hospitalist Company, The Phoenix Group was inspired by the success in the 1980s of the Jackson Hole Group, whose ideas came to form the basis of today’s managed care programs.
The group of 13 industry leaders gathered in Phoenix to prioritize the key issues confronting all private practitioners of hospitalist medicine. In addition to Dr. Singer, the attendees included: Ronald Greeno MD, CMO, Cogent Healthcare; Michael Gregory MD, CEO, Apogee Medical; Steven Houff MD, CEO, Hospitalists Management Group; Kirk Matthews, CEO, Inpatient Management Inc; Krishan Nagda MD, CEO, Central Florida Inpatient Medicine; Sandy Peterson PhD, CEO, Hospital Inpatient Management Services; Robert Reynolds MD, CEO, PrimeDoc Inc; Marium Steele MD, CEO, Texas Inpatient PA; Darren Swenson MD, CEO, Total Care Management Associates; Michael Wagner MD, CEO, EmCare Hospitalist Division; George Wilcox MD, CEO, ADMIT and Robert Young MD, CEO, Eagle Hospital Physicians.
“The Phoenix Group is not just an academic exercise,” said Dr. Singer. “It is comprised of leaders in our field rolling up their shirtsleeves to make sure that the resources and processes are in place to improve the delivery of hospitalist medicine five and ten years down the road. The group’s members already represent nearly 10% of all practicing hospitalists, and this was just our first meeting.”
“This is still a new field with explosive growth ahead," added Dr. Reynolds of PrimeDoc. “We private practitioners have to take responsibility for our future, and by doing so can have a very positive influence on how medical care is delivered in the entire country."
The Phoenix Group expects to maintain regular contact and interaction among participants to ensure its ideas and recommended actions have a direct impact on the industry’s evolution. In the first meeting, a number of topics were discussed and debated. Many issues emerged with broad support and consensus for action. Details of those discussions will be released in a white paper within the next several weeks.
”One of our goals is to work with other like-minded groups that can help us improve the hospitalist specialty, such as the Society of Hospital Medicine and the American Medical Association,” commented Dr. Robert Young of Eagle Hospital Physicians.” Among the Phoenix Group leaders we have extensive contacts throughout the healthcare community to draw upon and we hope to bring all of the parties together for the betterment of hospital medicine."
With the Phoenix Group’s first meeting deemed a success, other private practice group leaders are expected to attend the next meeting, which is being planned for Phoenix in September.
About Hospitalists
Hospitalists are specially trained physicians who work in close consultation with primary care physicians and appropriate specialists to manage a patient’s entire hospital experience, driving the healthcare delivery system toward better, more patient-focused care. As the nation’s fastest-growing medical specialty, hospitalists have been shown to increase the quality of care and reduce healthcare costs. Hospitalists also provide patients the added benefit of having a physician on-site to oversee care, answer questions and ensure the smooth coordination of hospital and post-discharge services. There are over 20,000 practicing hospitalists in the U.S. today. That number is expected to reach 30,000 by 2010.