Published in the June 2007 issue of Today’s Hospitalist.
Hospital medicine appears poised for yet more change, this time in the form of a new group that hopes to represent the interests of private practice hospitalists.
As we report in this issue, a coalition of the country’s largest private practice groups has joined forces to form the Phoenix Group. The goal is to provide a forum to discuss the nuts-and-bolts issues of running a practice, from immigration to contracting, as well as to lobby for the interests of private practice hospitalists.
The idea that the nation’s largest hospitalist companies need better representation in the marketplace of ideas comes as something of a surprise, given how much clout these groups have in the field. But many of the groups feel strongly that key business and policy issues aren’t being adequately addressed by the specialty’s leadership, and that they need representation of their own.
You could argue that the formation of this new group is the sign of a fracture in hospital medicine, but I personally think the advent of this new voice will be very healthy. Having another point of view “particularly one from some of hospital medicine’s most successful entrepreneurs “will help the specialty grow more fully. It will also ensure a stronger debate on vital issues.
I also find it fascinating that organizations that are such fierce competitors have been able to put down their swords to find common ground. That surely is a sign that the specialty continues to mature.
We’ll report on the Phoenix Group’s progress in future issues of Today’s Hospitalist. I for one am looking forward to reading the white paper that the group plans to publish this year, outlining its concerns. It promises to shine a compelling light on the future of hospital medicine.
Edward Doyle
Editor and Publisher
edoyle@todayshospitalist.com
