Alexian Brothers Health System (ABHS), a member of Ascension, is expanding its network of primary care physicians with the acquisition of a longstanding primary care medical group in suburban Chicago.
The Feb. 1 acquisition of The Medical Care Group, which includes a total of 20 internists and pediatricians at six locations, will increase access to primary care services for residents of suburban communities served by ABHS, said Kimberly Zimmermann, Chief Operating Officer of Alexian Brothers Medical Group (ABMG), a physician network owned and operated by ABHS.
This is the largest primary care medical group acquisition by ABHS in terms of the number of physicians and locations involved. The transaction reflects the system’s focus on rapidly expanding its ranks of primary care physicians amid forecasts of a growing shortage of primary care physicians as more formerly uninsured Americans seek care after becoming insured under the Affordable Care Act.
“As our nation’s healthcare system moves from paying for volume to paying for value, it will be increasingly important for all elements of the care continuum – hospitals, physicians and others – to work together more closely and collaboratively in regional clinically integrated systems of care,” said Mark Frey, President and CEO of ABHS and Ascension Health Ministry Market Leader for Illinois. “This is the direction Ascension is taking in our Ministry Markets across the country.”
In addition to expanding ABMG’s ranks of primary care physicians, the acquisition of The Medical Care Group will enhance the population health management capabilities of ABHS’ clinically integrated network of healthcare professionals and facilities, Zimmermann said.
The Affordable Care Act has made population health management a key objective for ABHS and other healthcare providers. The law has fostered a shift in healthcare from the traditional fee-for-service, volume-based reimbursement model to a value-based model that emphasizes population health management, preventive care, quality and efficiency. Providers increasingly are looking to primary care physicians to play leading roles in the growing drive to deliver high-quality, cost-effective care for defined patient populations, and competition for high-caliber primary care physicians has intensified.
To meet these increasing challenges, The Medical Care Group “sought an organization that would be a real partner but at the same time allow us to continue to make decisions about what we thought was best for our patients and practice,” said Joel Shalowitz, M.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.P., President and Chief Executive Officer of The Medical Care Group.. “After consideration of a number of systems, the logical choice was Alexian Brothers Health System. While most of our physicians were already on the staffs of its hospitals, it was really the Alexian mission and culture that were the deciding factors.”
