The Business of Medicine

This is a well-written compilation of practice information for the physician who wants to understand reimbursement options and how to evaluate practice options, to establish and manage a medical practice successfully using advisers, and to survive the frustrations and stresses of a physician's life. Gary Gitnick, MD, professor of medicine at UCLA School of Medicine at Los Angeles, has brought together a team of 53 experts who provide a wealth of information in a well-organized text.The first of five sections is an overview of the changing market forces impacting on the physician's practice. It reviews the changes in physician reimbursement patterns since 1900. Accompanying the changes from fee-for-service to the various third-party mechanisms of payment is the involvement of hospitals, government, group practices, the American Medical Association, and the recent alphabet soup of managed care. This trend analysis, primarily from the physician reimbursement standpoint, gives the reader a basis