Another hospital is offering doctors the chance to become part-owners.
Heart of Lancaster Regional Medical Center in Warwick Township this week held a presentation for doctors about a joint venture at the hospital.
About 20 doctors attended the presentation, said a source who was there.
The deadline for them to join the venture is Oct. 31, according to a letter sent to the hospital's medical staff by Karen Metz, Heart's chief executive officer.
The hospital is owned by Health Management Associates, a for-profit hospital chain based in Florida.
HMA officials told the doctors that Heart, built in 2004, is relatively new and in a good location, which would make it a wise investment, said the source, who asked not to be named.
Denyse Kling, a hospital spokeswoman, declined to discuss the meeting or anything discussed there.
Heart's sister hospital, Lancaster Regional Medical Center, launched its own joint venture in August, attracting more than 135 local doctors.
Those doctors paid Regional $8.2 million and hold about a 10 percent ownership in the hospital, located on College Avenue in Lancaster.
Regional's joint venture was believed to be the first of its kind in the state. Industry experts say such ventures may become a growing trend as hospitals and doctors seek to increase their profits.
Under a joint venture, doctors buy in to a hospital. In addition to the doctors' financial investment, the hospital gets patient referrals from the doctor.
In return, doctors often provide input in how the hospital is staffed and operated.
Doctors also get a cut of the hospital's profits. Whole hospital/physician joint ventures are governed by federal laws that prohibit doctors from getting paid directly for referrals. Rather, they are paid based on the amount of their investment.
HMA is no stranger to joint ventures, having launched at least eight in the past few years, mostly in hospitals it owns in southern states.
About a year ago, a joint venture was proposed at Heart of Lancaster Regional Medical Center. However, no deal materialized at that time.