Healthcare Executive - September/October 2013 - 80

CEO Survey
Perspectives

CEO Survey on Hospital-Physician Integration
Results provided by ACHE’s Division of Member Services, Research

In April 2013, ACHE conducted a survey of 1,057 community hospital CEOs to obtain their views on the
effectiveness of various strategies to enhance hospitalphysician integration. We received 353 responses for a
33.4 percent response rate.
Ninety-three percent of the community hospital
CEOs surveyed agreed with the statement that physicians and executives in their organizations collaborate on maintaining a culture of quality. Similarly,
76 percent agreed that physician leaders are active
participants in their hospitals’ strategic planning processes, and 65 percent agreed that hospital executives
and physicians work together to meet the demands
of health reform. However, only 27 percent of CEOs
in the study felt that incentives were aligned between
hospitals and physicians.
Respondents were asked to rate the effectiveness of nine
administrative strategies and 11 financial strategies for
promoting hospital-physician integration. The administrative and financial strategies rated as effective by more
than 60 percent of respondents are shown in the table
below. Soliciting physician input at the start of the strategic planning process, collaborating with physicians
on a quality initiative, and hosting retreats for medical
and administrative staff and board members were the

administrative strategies that the largest proportion
of respondents felt were effective. Employing primary
care physicians, employing physicians to coordinate
care, and forming a physician-led center of excellence
or clinical institute for a service line were the financial
strategies that the largest proportion of respondents felt
were effective.
When asked about training provided to physician
leaders, two-thirds of CEOs in the survey said their
organization paid part or all of the cost of physician
leadership training provided by other organizations,
53 percent said they encourage physicians to participate in leadership training provided by others and
47 percent inform physicians about leadership training provided by others. About half of the CEOs said
they provide physicians leadership courses or seminars
developed by their own organizations, while about
one-third said their organizations had developed more
expansive leadership training programs. Thirty-nine
percent of CEOs reported that their organizations
provide mentoring by senior administrators to physicians moving into administrative leadership positions.
ACHE wishes to thank the hospital CEOs who responded to
this survey for their time, consideration and service to their
profession and to healthcare management research.

Not at all
effective
1

4

Very
effective
5

Mean
(on a 1 to
5 scale)

2

3

N

Soliciting physician input when the hospital’s strategic
planning process begins

1%

3%

16%

43%

38%

4.14

341

Collaborating with physicians on a quality initiative

0%

Hosting retreats for selected medical staff, board
members and management staff

3%

19%

49%

29%

4.04

334

Convening meetings between hospitalists and
primary care providers to ensure continuity of care

3%

5%

21%

47%

24%

3.84

282

Recruiting physicians to administrative
leadership positions

2%

7%

30%

44%

16%

3.66

255

3%

9%

28%

39%

21%

3.66

270

Employment of primary care physicians

3%

6%

19%

38%

34%

3.95

305

Integrated delivery system where hospital employs
physicians who coordinate patient care at all levels

4%

8%

25%

37%

27%

3.75

216

Forming a physician-led center of excellence/clinical
institute for a particular service line

7%

4%

27%

41%

21%

3.64

201

Effectiveness of Hospital-Physician

Financial

Administrative

Integration Strategies

Note: Totals may not add up to exactly 100 percent due to rounding.

80

Healthcare Executive
SEPT/OCT 2013
Healthcare Executive - September/October 2013

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