Denton County Living Well Magazine May/June 2016 | Page 22

OrthoTexas:
A Private
Practice
Weathering
the Storm
of Hospital
Consolidation

W

ith the tidal wave of hospital consolidation in healthcare, there’s a public
perception that patients don’t have a
choice when selecting a specialist anymore––this simply is not true. Physician
owned, in-network practices continue to thrive and provide
the most complete access to the highest quality physicians,
therapists, technology, and staff available in the healthcare
industry today. OrthoTexas Orthopedics and Sports Medicine celebrates its fifth year as a premier physician owned
orthopedic practice, sighting its all-inclusive model as a key
differentiator in its success.
Knowing the difference between independent and employed physicians can empower patients to make informed
choices. As healthcare reform pushes higher reimbursement
rates to hospitals, private practices across the country are
being forced to either close their doors, or be acquired by
hospital groups. CNN reported hospital purchases of physician owned practices increased 30 to 40% over the past
five years, which has made finding an independent practitioner increasingly difficult. However, locating one of these
hidden gems not only ensures a higher level of personalized care for the patient, but it also helps heal our broken
healthcare system.

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DENTON COUNTY Living Well Magazine | MAY/JUNE 2016

The Affordable Care Act was architected to incentivize quality of care––not quantity of care, yet hospital acquisition
of physician practices has been shown to initiate higher
prices. For example, health insurance might pay $1,000 to
treat an oncology patient in the doctor’s office, but $5,000
if it’s done in a hospital. What is the reason for the drastic difference? Hospitals have higher operating costs, even
if you aren’t utilizing their 24-hour ambulatory care, patients are still paying the significant overhead fees. Independently owned facilities, like OrthoTexas, are not only
able to operate more efficiently, but patients are able to see
their preferred doctor more quickly. “At OrthoTexas, our patients only pay for what they need,” says Dr. Keith Heier,
OrthoTexas Board President, “that’s a big difference when it
comes to deductibles and co- insurance.”
When doctors aren’t in charge of their practices, many feel
patient care takes the first hit, because to an independent doctor, patients are not just a number to meet a quota. Yes, your
physician may be less stressed about administrative hassles,
but under hospital management, is constrained by numerous
layers of administrative policy. Many doctors are forced to
see substantially more patients per day, decreasing the time
spent with each patient. This model inherently works against
fostering a solid doctor-patient relationship. “OrthoTexas was