Just as physician ownership of medical facilities eliminates the expensive middle men (the administration types) and results in a lower overhead and ability to offer lower cost and higher quality care, the elimination of the insurance or third party administrator middle men by contracting directly with the medical facilities can result in cost savings. While this idea of “carve outs” is not new, it is not well understood by most of the businessmen operating self-insured companies that I have spoken to. I hope that this concept can be explored more in depth as I believe it is a key to keeping costs competitive and low, quality of care high (by making the physicians and the facilities more accountable to the patients they serve) and maintaining the important relationship between the physicians and their patients that seems to be under siege from all directions. As patients it is important for you to know if your physician is working for you or for someone else…they must be your advocate…more on this in another post.
G. Keith Smith, M.D.
