Physician and clinical integration among rural hospitals

The pressures for closer alignment between physicians and hospitals in both rural and urban areas are increasing. This study empirically specifies ind ependent dimensions of physician and clinical integration and compares the extent to which such activities are practiced between rural and urban hospi tals and among rural hospitals in different organizational and market conte xts. Results suggest that both rural and urban hospitals practice physician integration, although each emphasizes different types of strategies. Secon d, urban hospitals engage in clinical integration with greater frequency th an their rural counterparts. Finally, physician integration approaches in r ural hospitals are more common among larger rural hospitals, those proximat e to urban facilities, those with system affiliations, and those not under public control.