A large Midwestern tertiary care hospital asked SSB to help it develop a new physician alignment strategy. Although the organization had an extensive medical directorships organized by service line, physicians felt that they were not appropriately represented or included in administration decision-making. SSB interviewed physician leadership from all major service lines and worked closely with Administration to develop a series of physician alignment initiatives, addressing all of the major issues and concerns raised by physicians, including the hospital's overall physician relations philosophy, hospital-physician communications, the primary care network strategy, the regional referral network, growth strategies for all the service lines, information technology planning, and a new organization structure.
A large community hospital with a substantial heart program in a competitive urban market wanted to strengthen its ties with current physicians--as well as attract new physicians--in order to capitalize on the enormous opportunities for growing the heart service line. After analyzing the market and interviewing nearly all physicians in the heart service line, SSB recommended the development of a joint venture heart hospital as the best vehicle for long-term, sustainable, physician alignment. SSB also worked with the hospital and its physicians on the planning for the new venture.
An academic medical center in an urban market famous for competing, world-class heart centers, faced growing dissatisfaction on the part of its private cardiologists (who outnumbered the university cardiologists who controlled the department). SSB was asked to investigate and recommend solutions. SSB conducted extensive interviews to gain an understanding of the complex political dynamics, and then recommended a series of strategies for resolving the immediate conflicts, growing the heart service line and evolving the relationship between the hospital and the medical school.
A large community hospital in a major sunbelt city started hearing rumors that CV surgeons and cardiologists on its staff were being courted by several for-profit heart hospital development companies for JV heart hospital projects in the hospital's service area. For a variety of reasons, the hospital was concerned that its medical staff was becoming more and more vulnerable to such recruitment. SSB was asked to diagnose the problem and recommend solutions. SSB found the cause and recommended a set of initiatives to address physicians' immediate concerns as well as a break-out vision for moving the hospital's cardiology program to a new level in concert with the physicians. SSB's solutions held the staff in place while administration worked on gaining approval for the new program.
A multi-hospital academic medical center in New England had a mixture of foundation-based physicians and independent community-based physicians. In an increasingly competitive market, the client wanted to strengthen physician ties, especially with community-based primary care physicians. SSB spearheaded an initiative to create a physician-hospital partnership around the development and management of an integrated delivery system. Through shared leadership and the joint resolution of numerous strategic issues, the parties forged an effective working partnership that enhanced and strengthened the system's competitive position.
A multi-hospital system in a major urban market had a substantial heart program. It acquired its largest competitor, located nearby, which also had a major CV market presence. The client had completed a comprehensive plan for integrating service lines, but the cardiologists and CV surgeons on both staffs were not supportive of the direction that Administration wanted to pursue.
SSB was asked to come in as an independent, objective third-party to conduct an impartial investigation and recommend a path to secure greater physician buy-in. SSB interviewed a large number of physicians from both staffs, as well as representatives from Administration. In its final report, SSB suggested a direction that differed from the Administration's preferred approach. After much debate and discussion, the client moved forward with SSB’s recommended strategies, ultimately leading to the successful integration of the two CV programs.
