1.   The affiliated doctors group is a separate, for-profit organization.

2.   Although hospitals and doctor groups sign their own contracts with HMOs to provide service to enrollees, hospitals depend on doctors to bring in patients.

3.   At the same time, larger non-profits are buying up small hospitals and doctor groups in hopes of securing their own share of the market.

4.   Both Medpartners, which has been a recent favorite of investors, and Caremark have been buying doctor groups at a rapid rate.

5.   But Kaiser did less well when its physicians were compared to other doctor groups like the Alta Bates Medical Group or California Pacific Medical Group.

6.   By contrast, the negotiating power of smaller doctor groups and individual practitioners is considerably less.

7.   Consumer activists and doctor groups say government regulations are needed to prevent managed-care health insurers from skimping on necessary care to save money.

8.   FHP also had higher-than-expected medical costs, a backlog of customer claims and shifting members to different doctors groups, PacifiCare said.

9.   Fierce competition has spawned an industrywide shakeout as doctor groups compete against each other for business.

10.   He said hospitals and doctor groups were merging into oligopolies and raising prices.