Mergers and health care organizations

The concerns over ever-rising health care costs has motivated physicians, hospitals, and insurance carriers to search for ways to increase efficiency, decrease costs, and maintain or improve quality. Mergers have been recognized as having the capability to accomplish all three goals-but not without some concerns. This article's intent is to provide the reader with basic knowledge that will assist in understanding the discussion regarding the appropriateness of mergers in health care. It reviews issues raised by mergers and examines a few case studies of merged health care organizations.