ABSTRACT
In its essence, a business is at the hub of a spider web of interactions with customers, suppliers, regulators, and others. Through these interactions, a business acquires its raw materials, adds value, and distributes its product or service to its customers. The “customer” depends upon these sellers to work together to efficiently and effectively provide the service he or she wants and is buying. Medical practices tend to deliver their services in one of two locations: an office or a facility, usually a hospital. The performance of the outside organizations not only reflects on the service provided by physicians but also can impact the quality and outcome of the service. A surgeon who operates in a hospital that slips in the area of infection control, for instance, may find his or her patients developing postsurgical infections that lengthen recovery, increase morbidity, and may even result in death.
