How physician/administrator teams work in small groups. Six steps to make it happen.

The physician/administrator team is frequently supported as the preferred model for physician group governance. Perhaps an obvious model for large groups, it remains true that the largest percentage of physicians are practicing in groups of 10 or fewer. This article explores the applicability of the physician/administrator team concept for small group practices. The article covers the significance of the physician/administrator team in managed care settings, difference in governance structures between large and small groups, the need for physicians to be willing to share leadership in organizations they own, understanding empowerment in small groups, the manager's need to assume more responsibility and how to form the team.