[Magdalen] Creeping Big Players.

[Cantor03 at aol.com]

Bigger health systems have continued to change the landscape of  medical
care in this region.
 
There are now three big players:  (1) Lehigh Valley System; (2)  
Commonwealth
Health System; and (3) Geisinger Health System.
 
This past week there was the announcement that the Geisinger System 
has taken over the "other" hospital in Allentown, PA in direct  competition
with the Lehigh Valley System, and this is the first entry of Geisinger  
into
that market.  Lehigh has bought the local Hazleton General as  well
as the practices of the remaining private physicians in Hazleton.
The hospitals in Wilkes-Barre (with the exception of the Geisinger
Wyoming Valley Hospital) and in Scranton (with the exception of CMC
Geisinger Hospital) area.
 
There are big, expensive outpatient clinic buildings from these big
players everywhere, it seems.
 
Individual and small groups are gone with the wind.
 
It's deja vue all over again for me.  This is what happened in  the
Upper Midwest 30 years ago.
 
 
 
David S.  Very happy to be retired.