Nov 4, 2009 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Nine of the 10 largest medical groups are located on the East and West coasts
When it comes to the list of the 20 largest physicians groups in the United States, Kaiser Permanente is at the top. With 7,000 physicians, Permanente Medical Group in Northern California is the nation’s largest. Number two is Southern California Permanente Medical Group, based in Pasadena, California. At number 20 is the University of Indiana School of Medicine with 1,481 physicians.
This list was prepared by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) and published in Modern Healthcare . One interesting fact is that all but one of the 10 largest medical practices are located on the east or west coast. Overall, six of the top 20 medical groups are located in the Midwest, one in Texas, and the rest in coastal cities.
There are 51, 280 physicians practicing in the nation’s 20 largest medical groups. This represents about 6.4% of the 800,000 physicians licensed in the United States – P. Kirk
20 Largest Medical Groups:
| RANK – GROUP |
# OF DOCTORS |
CITY |
| 1. Permanente Medical Group |
7,000 |
Oakland |
| 2. Southern California Permanente Medical Group |
6,400 |
Pasadena |
| 3. Bellevue Hospital Center |
4,000 |
New York |
| 4. University of Medicine & Dentistry of Newark |
2,816 |
Newark |
| 5. Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva Univ. |
2,775 |
New York |
| 6. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center |
2,700 |
Pittsburgh |
| 7. Johns Hopkins University |
2,694 |
Baltimore |
| 8. Columbia University Medical Center |
2,189 |
New York |
| 9. David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA |
2,000 |
Los Angeles |
| 10. Mayo Clinic |
1,995 |
Rochester |
| 11. University of Washington Medicine |
1,830 |
Seattle |
| 12. Northeastern Ohio Univ. Colleges of Med & Pharmacy |
1,800 |
Rootstown |
| 13. University of Michigan Health System |
1,746 |
Ann Arbor |
| 14. Massachusetts General Hospital |
1,746 |
Boston |
| 15. University of Pennsylvania Medicine |
1,700 |
Philadelphia |
| 16. Baylor College of Medicine |
1,607 |
Houston |
| 17. University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago |
1,604 |
Chicago |
| 18. Northwestern Memorial Hospital |
1,600 |
Chicago |
| 19. Winthrop University Hospital |
1,525 |
Mineola |
| 20. Indiana University School of Medicine |
1,481 |
Indianapolis |
| Total all physicians from all groups: |
51,208 |
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| Source: MGMA, Englewood, Colorado |
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Related Information:
Largest medical group practices
Is Integration in Large Medical Groups Associated With Quality? (PDF)
Benefits of and Barriers to Large Medical Group Practice in the United States (PDF)
Oct 26, 2009 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Advanced use of EHRs is one characteristic of nation’s quality leaders
It’s a new study and ranking of top-performing health systems that Dark Daily readers will find interesting and useful. Thomson Reuters announced its latest Top 10 rankings, and identified three main ingredients for attaining higher-quality outcomes. They were: 1) a corporate-level coordinating committee; 2) ample involvement in planning from front-line caregivers; and a system-wide electronic health record system (EHR).
Thomson-Reuters evaluated 252 health systems, representing 1,720 hospitals. Its findings were published exclusively in Modern Healthcare. Its rating was based on five clinical performance measures: mortality, complications, patient safety, length-of-stay and use of evidence-based medicine. No attempt was made to measure financial performance. The health systems study used 2007 information from two public databases, the Medicare Provider Analysis and Review and Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Hospital Compare.
(more…)
Oct 5, 2009 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Up to 400 times more sensitive than existing ELISA-based methods
Detecting any of seven cancers in their earliest stages may be feasible through the use of a new biomarker chip that was recently unveiled by scientists from Stanford University’s Center for Magnetic Nanotechnology. To give their biomarker chip increased sensitivity over fluorescent detection methods, the scientists use magnetic technologies to accomplish detection.
Reporting in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), lead scientist Shan X. Wang, Ph.D., director of the center and professor of materials science and electrical engineering, says the chip is able to detect very low levels of seven cancers. The biodetection chip is to be marketed by Silicon Valley startup MagArray Inc., of Sunnyvale, California. It detects multiple proteins in blood or DNA strands using magnetic technology similar to how a computer reads a hard drive. Developers say this chip could also be used to diagnose cardiovascular disease and monitor cancer therapy.
(more…)
Sep 21, 2009 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Hospitals Opening Retail Clinics to Capture Greater Market Share
Walk-in rapid medical clinics in retail stores are so popular with consumers that now hospitals want in on the action. Some of the nation’s most famous hospitals have inked agreements to put their brand on rapid clinics located inside many of the country’s largest retail and pharmacy chains.
Hospital-branded rapid clinics are inside 25 Wal-Mart stores nationally, according to a New York Times article. Additionally, Cleveland Clinic lent its brand to CVS drugstore clinics in northern Ohio, Mayo Clinic is operating Express Care clinics inside a supermarket and shopping mall in Rochester, Minnesota, and there are others. In fact, one in 10 retail clinics are now connected to a hospital, and more are planned, according to Merchant Medicine News, an online newsletter for the clinic industry.
(more…)
Sep 16, 2009 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
More sophistication and performance in new POCT and monitoring systems for home use
Efforts to increase patient home self-testing and monitoring continue to pay off. Two new products for point-of-care (POC) health tests and patient home monitoring recently entered the marketplace. Both systems are devices that enable healthcare professionals to remotely monitor patients with chronic illnesses.
Separately, UK-based The Jaltek Group and Sweden-based Ericsson each introduced wireless monitoring systems worn by patients at home or in healthcare facilities. These systems improve patients’ quality of life by continuously monitoring their vital signs while allowing free movement. These devices also avoid the need for frequent trips to the doctor and may lower health care costs.
(more…)
