Practice Network Growth and Development

Between 1985 and the late 1990s, many hospitals invested in primary care practices, employed physicians, experienced financial losses totaling millions of dollars, then pruned or divested completely of their medical practice networks.

Since 2000, many hospitals have decided or been forced to re-enter the business of primary care practice ownership in order to bolster sagging market share that coincided with their earlier practice divestiture strategies. Others are employing specialists to secure their service lines in increasingly competitive markets. In many communities, a physician employment model is a critical integration tactic.

The Halley Consulting Network Development planning process helps hospital executives create or enhance the infrastructure to support a financially and operationally viable hospital-owned primary care or multi-specialty practice network—a network that can yield a sustainable competitive advantage. This planning and development process outlines best practice strategies in 10 key areas:

• Practice Network Growth and Development
• Network Operational Governance
• Management Infrastructure
• Human Resource Management
• Practice and Network Promotion
• Operations Management
• Revenue Cycle Management
• Information Systems
• Facilities and Equipment
• Finance and Accounting

The resulting Operating Plan documents the vision, strategies and specific tactics to help ensure that the new or expanding hospital-owned practice network becomes and remains viable in support of integrated strategies.

"I am very pleased with the end result of our work with Halley Consulting. Their team armed us with all of the tools and models we needed to move forward from A to Z with our employed and affiliated medical practice network.” Paul Molbert Director of Physician Partnerships Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center