Mergers and alliances in the hospital industry, which picked up speed in the past year, are likely to accelerate even more, according to a new survey of 1200 hospital executives conducted by Deloitte & Touche.
The accounting firm's poll found that 81% of hospital executives expect that their hospitals will be involved in some sort of alliance, network, or merger in the next five years....
The survey also found that 36% of hospitals are acquiring physicians' practices. Such acquisitions let hospitals command a bigger portion of total health-care spending, and can provide a reliable "feeder" network of patients for hospitalization. Some doctors, however, are concerned that hospitals may be gaining too much market clout.