Among the many strategies for closer alignment between hospitals and their physicians are the proliferating joint ventures and financially driven exercises, including gainsharing, that are intended to capture with more revenues the loyalty of the medical staff members who are involved. In an editorial in a recent issue of the Journal of Oncology, “Physician-Hospital Partnerships: What Really Counts?”, Alice argues that unless the quality implications of hospital-physician ventures are their driving purpose, these transactions may generate short-term revenues, but they will not feed the core needs of their participants. Still, they may have an important role within the context of a well-thought out physician engagement strategy.