Physician Empowerment in the Hospital: An Overview of Clinical Co-Management Agreements
- January 17, 2019
As healthcare organizations, operating in a shifting landscape, begin to recognize the importance of alignment and integration in this new “accountable care era,” many leaders hold an erroneous belief that pursuing one particular model, i.e., employment, is the only answer. However, multiple alignment models are available that can advance the agenda for provider organizations to remain viable and control their destiny while also meeting the needs of their hospital partner. Clinical Co-Management Agreements (CCMAs) are often discussed, though their relevance is regularly masked by a broader strategy, i.e., employment, professional service agreements, and/or clinical integration. These agreements are a moderate form of alignment and represent an arrangement wherein providers become actively engaged in setting and managing the clinical direction of a particular service line. CCMAs are frequently consummated between hospitals’ service lines and their medical staff members, whether they are employed or contracted. A CCMA can serve as a method of accomplishing “win-win” volume-to-value outcomes for both the physician and the hospital, without losing all independence and autonomy or becoming overly capital intensive, thus, driving value for all stakeholders.
