A sick or injured person can obtain medical care in several different places./These include provider practices such as medical o

A sick or injured person can obtain medical care in several different places./These include provider practices such as medical offices and clinics, hospitals and nursing homes./There are about 200,000 medical offices, clinics, and other provider practices in the United States./Earlier in the 20th century most physicians were single people working in their own offices or in partnership with another doctor./Patients visited the office, received an examination or other service, and paid a fee./This traditional fee-for-service medicine has been declining./Many physicians now practice in groups where they share the same offices and equipment with other doctors./Group practices may combine primary care physicians, several kinds of specialists, laboratories, and equipment for diagnosing disease./Physicians who practice in a group reduce their own expenses and provide patients with a wider range of services./Many doctors are joining with hospitals, insurance companies,/and industrial employers to provide managed care for groups of patients./These plans manage to avoid unnecessary services and reduce costs./