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Maintaining The Physician Voice in Healthcare Policy
With the trend towards hospital physician employment, caution flags have been raised that suggest doctors will relinquish their leadership roles and leave decisions like cost control to hospital administrators. Indeed, it was the subject of my Commentary in the Third Quarter 2007 issue of this very publication. Fearing that the trend of physicians shedding the business responsibilities of practicing medicine would also lead to their withdrawal from discussions of healthcare policy, I called for physicians “to stay engaged in the issues of your industry — the issues that affect you and your patients.”
To some extent at least, I still harbor
the same fear. But I can now cite an
example that is very encouraging and
one that will demand the attention of
heathcare professionals throughout our
region. At Southern Maine Medical
Center, where under the leadership of
CEO Ed McGeachey and Southern
Maine Medical Center PrimeCare
Physicians, physicians have become a
significant part of the board of directors
and are involved with hospital management
decisions at the committee level.
This is a unique governance structure in
Maine and I believe it will strengthen
the relationship among physicians, hospital
administrators, and the community.
—T.S.