This document discusses the trend of hospitals acquiring physician practices, which drives up healthcare costs. It notes that hospitals are reimbursed at higher rates than physicians' offices for the same services. This differential reimbursement has enabled hospitals to consolidate market control and employ more physicians, while the number in private practice has declined. However, hospitals are actually a more expensive and less efficient site of care. The document argues for equalizing reimbursement rates between hospitals and physicians' offices to help control costs and preserve patient access to healthcare.