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 financial pressures bearing down on independent physicians. Panacea Financial’s 2025 Residents & Fellows Survey found 75% of residents and fellows identified student loan debt as a top financial stressor, up from 49% the prior year, with more than half rating their financial stress at an 8 or higher on a 10-point scale.
Independent practice ownership has eroded sharply over the same period. Only 35.4% of physicians held an ownership stake in their practice in 2024, down from 53.2% in 2012 and roughly 76% in the early 1980s.
“Independent physicians are the backbone of American medicine and the financial barriers they face — from student debt carried into training to the capital required to start or sustain a practice — are real and growing,” Michael Jerkins, MD, co-founder and president of Panacea Financial said in the relesae.
AMA CEO John Whyte, MD, cited rising costs, declining reimbursement and market consolidation as forces threatening independent practice viability. “Through programs like this collaboration with Panacea Financial, alongside our advocacy efforts, the AMA is working to help independent practices remain viable and resilient,” Dr. Whyte said.
Panacea Financial operates as a fintech platform built exclusively for physicians and medical practices.
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