Samuel Kohan

Samuel Kohan (born March 1973) is a nationally recognized healthcare administration expert, author , jurist and lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business.

Prediction on the Affect of Affordable Care Act on Cardiologists

Since the enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act about one third of cardiologists in private practice have sold their practices to hospitals and health systems. Currently, about two third of cardiology practices are owned and operated by hospitals. Prominent cardiologists and non-profit organization are questioning wheather the changes in the health care system means the end of private practice for cardiologists. This is significant for Americans because cardiologists, like most medical specialists, tend to perform better when they are their own boss in a private practice setting. A physician in a private practice can be happier and as a result can provide patients with better care. When a hospital owns a specialty medical practice the doctor in most cases becomes an employee of the hospital or is subjected to hospital’s administration. The administrative and medical interface or alliance does not seem to have a clear and successful history or support among healthcare experts specializing in cardiology practice. Kohan joined other healthcare experts in expressing skepticism about the future of hopitals employing cardiologists. This is not to claim that emlpoyer and employee relationship between hospitals and physicians does not work or are unproductive, rather the expert opinions suggest that a large number of physicians in the United States given the choice would prefer to own their practice rather than work for a hospital. Therefore, such mergers may not be a long-term relationship.