MARBLEHEAD, MA – The government, patients and employers are demanding higher value in healthcare, but the current payment structure still largely rewards hospitals and physicians based on the volume of services they provide, according to a HealthlLeaders Media study.

The report, produced in collaboration with PricewaterhouseCoopers, indicates healthcare can't afford the current model any longer and that aligning physicians and hospitals could improve the system.

“HealthLeaders Media Breakthroughs: Aligning Hospitals and Physicians Toward Value” includes case studies from the Wisconsin-based Gundersen Lutheran Health System, South Dakota-based SanfordHealth-MeritCare, St. Louis-based SSM Health Care and Seattle's Virginia Mason Medical Center. The study says those health systems are using proven strategies in new ways to create physician alignment and better value in healthcare.

"The real-life action behind all that noise is entirely about one thing: how to get physicians into a new way of practicing within a coordinated system of care," said Jim Molpus, editor of the report and strategic relationships director for HealthLeaders Media. “Hospitals and physicians have been so busy in recent years looking for 'the perfect deal' that they may have lost sight on the fundamentals of organizational structure, clear goals and shared values."

"Physician alignment is one of the big questions in healthcare today," said Matt Cann, publisher of HealthLeaders Media.