Vertical integration, in which multiple health care providers and services join together as one system, is not simply a new wave in health care; it's a tsunami. Hospitals, in their rush to integrate, have been capturing physician practices at a remarkable pace. Between 1993 and 1995, the number of physician practices owned or managed by hospitals increased 172 percent.

Source: The Great Product Enterprise: Future State for the American Health System. Washington, DC: Health Care Advisory Board; 1997:2.