Benjamin Levy III, MD, a gastroenterologist at University of Chicago Medicine, joined Becker’s to discuss strategies to safeguard physician autonomy as gastroenterology practices undergo increasing consolidation.
Editor’s note: This interview was edited lightly for clarity and length.
Question: What are the biggest challenges in preserving physician autonomy and leadership within GI practices as consolidation accelerates?
Dr. Benjamin Levy: The biggest challenge to preserve physician autonomy is to make sure that several Gastroenterologists are placed in advisory leadership positions – and that companies listen and implement their GI advice. It’s important for vertically integrated payer-provider organizations and private equity owned groups to maintain leadership with a diverse representation of Gastroenterologists, each with a different strength: years of experience, public health background, business background (perhaps someone with a MD, MBA), interest in cutting-edge technology, artificial intelligence, data science, and ethics. Including input from Gastroenterologists is the most ideal way to lead an organization together with the company’s business and management leaders. When Gastroenterology practices increase in size, physicians may start to feel like a number – especially when they aren’t well-represented on management committees.
Consolidation could place physicians at risk for feeling constrained by cost-containment strategies and requirements to hit productivity benchmarks. Vertically integrated payer-provider organizations might dictate specific referral pathways within their own network. Furthermore, physicians may feel at risk-for feeling rushed if organizations start prioritizing productivity in a cookie-cutter manner by overscheduling. It’s important to note that some physicians are slower due to keyboarding skills or being thorough – and shouldn’t be rushed; instead organizations should appreciate the exceptional care they are providing.
Physicians should feel like they are a contributing decision maker – and not just an employee in a group. There is a potential risk for Gastroenterologists to feel burned out when they become the worker-bees and don’t have a leadership voice.
