The U.S. healthcare system is undergoing an unprecedented transformation, driven in part by payment models that are fundamentally shifting the demand for services. In this report, Ascendient tracks the big forces at work, showing how national trends will utterly transform the landscape for local providers.

Executive Summary Medical imaging has become the latest battlefield for economic theorists who mistakenly believe that the U.S. healthcare system is a typical marketplace in need of deregulation. Critics are now claiming that Certificate of Need laws (CON) have restricted access to imaging services, resulting in the need for patients to cross state lines. Although… Read More

Executive Summary Much of the debate over Certificate of Need laws has focused on market theories instead of measurable realities. In this report, Ascendient seeks to expand the perspective beyond a one-dimensional ideological view and get back to the numbers that matter. Based on an analysis of facts and objective data, we conclude that any… Read More

So you have decided to pursue a physician/hospital alignment strategy. Great…what does that mean? And perhaps more importantly, do you know who you actually want to align with? Let’s assume that you have already gone through the process of determining your preferred alignment method(s), whether it is employment, joint ventures, medical directorships, etc. Regardless of… Read More

Amid the avalanche of change unleashed by the Affordable Care Act, the CHNA requirement for not-for-profit hospitals has often been viewed as a relatively minor or distant concern. But in 2013, with the elections over and appeals all but exhausted, that concern is no longer minor, and the deadlines are no longer distant. Over the… Read More

In 2007, the American Academy of Family Physicians published a study entitled, “Panel Size: How Many Patients Can One Doctor Manage?” Though the authors were careful to disclaim any one “right” answer to the question of panel size, the number 2,000 was bandied about as a reasonable target, and this figure has continued to dominate… Read More

Increased transparency and regulatory enforcement highlight the need for hospitals to re-evaluate physician recruitment practices to ensure compliance with Federal guidelines. Those not taking a pro-active stance in light of heightened scrutiny face the risk of having their tax-exempt status questioned by Federal regulators. The Federal government continues to devote increased resources toward evaluating the… Read More