Understanding Organizational Designs of Primary Care Practices.

Authors

Alfred F. Tallia MD, MPHFollow
Kurt C. Stange MD, PhDFollow
Reuben R. McDaniel Jr EdDFollow
Virginia A. Aita RN, PhDFollow
William L. Miller MD, MA, Lehigh Valley Health NetworkFollow
Benjamin F. Crabtree PhDFollow

Publication/Presentation Date

12-31-2002

Abstract

During the past decade, many hospitals experienced difficulty integrating primary care practices into their health systems. We hypothesized that this difficulty may be, in part, a result of limited understanding of practice organizational designs. The structure and function of practices have not been well studied. In this article, we answer the following questions: Are practices all the same, or do variations in their organizational design exist? Do hospital designs predict the designs of affiliated practices? If variation exists, what are the management implications? Eighteen family practices, including nine affiliated with five separate hospital systems, were studied using an in-depth comparative case study design. A content analysis of the rich descriptive data from these cases indicates that a great variety exists in the organizational design of primary care practices, and this variety appears to be influenced by the initial conditions under which the practice was organized. Hospital system design in and of itself did not predict the design of affiliated practices. In fact, both affiliated and independent practices exhibited a range of design characteristics, some of which did not fit traditional models. Hospital systems that allowed greater flexibility of practice organizational designs were more effective at integrating and managing practices. Practices response to environmental change was greater when practice autonomy was highest. These findings suggest that a science of practice organizational design separate from that of hospitals is needed to help explain the success and failure of practices within health systems and to provide information for planning practice change.

Volume

48

Issue

1

First Page

45

Last Page

59

ISSN

1096-9012

Published In/Presented At

Tallia, A. F., Stange, K. C., McDaniel, R. J., Aita, V. A., Miller, W. L., & Crabtree, B. F. (2003). Understanding organizational designs of primary care practices. Journal Of Healthcare Management / American College Of Healthcare Executives, 48(1), 45-59.

Disciplines

Family Medicine | Medical Specialties | Medicine and Health Sciences

PubMedID

12592868

Department(s)

Department of Family Medicine, Department of Family Medicine Faculty

Document Type

Article