Independent Practice

The conversation surrounding orthopedic and spine practice consolidation often frames the question as who owns the practice. However, according to surgeons, what matters most is who has a voice in the decisions. Private equity often dominates the conversation about orthopedic…

Independent practices are boxed in by flat reimbursement and are often guided toward increasing patient volumes to relieve their margins.  John Garner, CEO of Southwest Ohio ENT Specialists in Dayton, is testing a different lever by capturing revenue from services…

The variance in experiences, satisfaction and pay between independent and employed physicians has become well known within healthcare — but new research suggests the gaps could be widening.  Researchers from RAND interviewed 30 U.S. primary care physicians — 15 employed…

At a time when a vast majority of physicians work in consolidated practices or employed settings, autonomy has emerged as a key concern among the workforce.  An Avalere study sponsored by Physicians Advocacy Institute and published May 13 found that…

Physician ownership has been in decline for more than a decade. Just 42.4% of physicians worked in private practice as of 2024, down from 60.1% in 2012, according to the American Medical Association’s Physician Practice Benchmark Survey.  Additionally, between 2019…

Alejandro Fernandez has spent roughly three decades building the business machinery around physician specialties — gastroenterology first, then dermatology, and now orthopedics as CEO of Synergy Orthopedic Specialists in San Diego. Along the way, he developed a shorthand for how…

Cardiology, gastroenterology and primary care are losing independent practices at a pace that separates them from the rest of the field, driven by a combination of Medicare payment erosion, private equity consolidation and hospital acquisition pressure. Between 2012 and 2024,…

Becker’s tracked more than 33 physician practice deals in the first quarter of 2026 — including 15 in January alone, spanning radiology rollups, cardiology acquisitions, retinal specialists and primary care platforms absorbed by health systems, insurers and ambulatory chains. Only…

Noncompete agreements, certificate-of-need laws and tax incentives are some of the most powerful policy levers shaping the way that independent physicians practice. Marcelo Hochman, MD, a Charleston-based independent physician and former president of the Independent Doctors of South Carolina, has…

Little Rock, Ark.-based Panacea Financial has formed an affinity program with the American Medical Association to give physicians access to practice financing and personal lending benefits according to a news release shared with Becker’s June 17. The partnership targets the…