Is the economy giving physicians the upper hand in hospital negotiations?

Physicians provide much of a hospital’s revenue.

At a time when financial investments have lost nearly half of their value, hospitals are relying on doctors to bring in revenue-generating procedures and hospital visits.

This gives physicians the upper hand in negotiations, as hospitals are buying practices and sharing in joint ventures like imaging centers and outpatient surgery clinics. As some are saying, “many hospital positions are still going begging.”

In return, doctors are seeking financial stability from a hospital, as the current environment makes it difficult to survive as an independent practice.

There is no doubt that doctors and hospitals need each other. But it seems the hospitals may need physicians just a little bit more.