Apr 5, 2010 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Consumer products giant acquires 100% ownership of concierge medicine company
Clinical laboratories and pathology groups may soon be serving physician practices owned by Procter & Gamble (P&G) (NYSE:PG). That’s because the consumer products giant now owns 100% of MDVIP, a nationwide concierge practice of 350 doctors in 28 states.
The deal is noteworthy because it further expands Procter & Gamble’s presence in healthcare. In 2006, P&G invested $325 million in a joint venture with Inverness Medical (NYSE:IMA). The joint venture announced its intention to develop and market diagnostic test kits for use by consumers that can be sold in retail outlets. At the time, The Dark Report wrote that, “P&G’s interest in consumer self testing is based on its belief that consumer demand for health services and healthcare products will soar in the coming decades.” (See The Dark Report, June 4, 2007, “ Inverness Buys Biosite, Has New Venture with P&G” )
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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)
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.
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Jul 17, 2009 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Goal is to improve patient safety and health outcomes, but who is going to pay?
Pathologists are aware of the ongoing debate about the overwork of medical residents, who traditionally worked 100 or more hours per week. Medical experts regularly point out how overworking medical residents may result in fatigue-related adverse events that negatively affect patient safety. These adverse events cost teaching hospitals money in additional care and/or malpractice claims. Now comes a new report published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) which determined that it remains more profitable to continue this practice than to hire extra help.
The study, Cost Implications of Reduced Work Hours and Workloads for Resident Physicians, was conducted by researchers from UCLA and the RAND Corp, a nonprofit research facility in Los Angeles. The study was initiated in response to recommendations from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to limit medical resident work hours.
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Jul 15, 2009 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Goal is to address conflict of interest in clinical studies and CME programs
Each year, clinical laboratories and laboratory medicine associations receive less financial support from industry vendors and suppliers. This is a response to tougher Medicare compliance requirements and tighter ethics guidelines. Now comes a report from the Institute of Medicine calling for further reforms on how companies work with physicians to conduct clinical trials and publicize the findings.
The IOM committee’s report, Conflict of Interest in Medical Research, Education and Practice, stresses the importance of preventing bias and mistrust upfront, rather than trying to remedy damage after the fact. It focused specifically on financial conflicts of interest involving pharmaceutical, medical device, and biotechnology companies.
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