In another move to relieve its itch for expansion, Akron Children’s Hospital has acquired a busy allergy practice.
The pediatric hospital this month purchased the Allergy & Asthma Center of Northeast Ohio, which includes three allergy and immunology specialists.
Drs. Rajeev Kishore, Ravi Karnani and Nancy Wasserbauer Kingston will continue to be located in the Akron Children’s Hospital Considine Professional building, where the practice has been leasing space since 2004.
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Cheryl Powell, Akron Beacon Journal Website Cheryl Powell is a health reporter for The Akron Beacon Journal, the daily newspaper in Akron and a syndication partner of MedCity News.
The three doctors have more than 10,000 patient contacts per year.
”This gives us an opportunity, from our perspective, to get the resources of the hospital and develop new patient services and expand our services to the same regional area that Akron Children’s Hospital provides services,” Kishore said.
Doctors throughout the nation increasingly are opting to become hospital employees.
A recent study by the Medical Group Management Association showed about 65 percent of established doctors who took new jobs last year were placed in hospital-owned practices.
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Hospitals can gain financially from the trend.
A survey this year by Merritt Hawkins, a national physician search firm, indicated that hospitals typically earn five to 10 times more in revenues from employed doctors than what they pay in salaries.
”When you have physicians employed, it typically results in better alignment, because you’re one economic entity and your interests tend to be more of the same,” said Shawn Lyden, the hospital’s executive vice president.
In the past year, Akron Children’s has employed about 40 pediatric primary-care doctors and specialists.
In many cases, Lyden said, the change from independent to employed physician can help doctors contend with industry challenges, such as low reimbursement rates from Medicaid, the state and federal insurance program for children and the poor.
The affiliation also can benefit specialists, who rely on referrals from primary-care doctors for much of their patient base, Lyden said. Akron Children’s employs almost 60 primary-care doctors throughout the region.
The allergy specialists already had privileges at Akron Children’s, where Kishore has served as division director of allergy and immunology since the late 1980s.
The doctors now are working with pulmonary medicine specialists at Akron Children’s to provide a coordinated asthma service, Kishore said.
An estimated 10 percent of children have asthma, he said.
”Being in the same group as the hospital, we can now more easily draw help from other subspecialties,” he said.
In addition, Akron Children’s plans to launch comprehensive programs for patients with immune deficiency disorders, food allergies and atopic dermatitis, a skin disorder.
The doctors will continue to see patients at other hospitals where they have privileges, including Akron General Medical Center and Summa Health System.
Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.
Akron Children’s is among Summit County’s largest employers, with more than 4,000 employees.
Cheryl Powell is a health reporter for The Akron Beacon Journal, the daily newspaper in Akron and a syndication partner of MedCity News.
