When Getting Bigger is Too Big: Challenges of Growing Health Care Systems.

Abstract

Nearly two hospital mergers occur per week and the majority of hospitals are now part of a larger health system. As health systems continue to grow in size and geographic coverage, these changes could have unintended consequences for many different healthcare stakeholders. This surgical perspective outlines emerging challenges associated with the growth of health systems and potential strategies to monitor and mitigate the potential adverse impact of these ongoing changes.