Journal of Medicine - Hospitals' hiring of individual physicians and purchase of physician practices is driven in large part by a desire for improved market share, consistent referrals and control of ancillary services, according to a survey of health care leaders by the Center for Studying Health System Change.

Journal of Medicine-It never ceases to astonish me how ill informed my colleagues are about what is currently going on in healthcare. I recently sat in a board meeting of a physician- hospital organization and the topic being discussed was accountable care organizations (ACOs). The doctor sitting next to me leaned over and asked me what an ACO was. This is a board member representing 800 physicians in contract negotiations with insurance companies!

Journal of Medicine - While most U.S. physicians will face a malpractice lawsuit at some time in their careers, a new study finds, the vast majority of those suits will not result in payment to a plaintiff. A new report provides the most comprehensive analysis of the risk of malpractice claims by physician specialty in more than two decades and finds that the annual chance of a claim varies from around 5 percent in low-risk specialties to nearly 20 percent in specialties at the highest risk.

Journal of Medicine - President Barack Obama's sweeping overhaul of the nation's healthcare system will top the agenda in the new U.S. Supreme Court term that just opened.