Independent Practice

The gap between independent and employed practice has been widening for the last decade. Between 2019 and 2023, the share of independent physician practices owned by hospitals, health systems or other corporate entities jumped from 39% to 59%. Over the…

James Holton, MD, a primary care physician with three decades in Medford, N.J., has come out of retirement to open a membership-based practice affiliated with MDVIP, targeting patients left without a provider after Optum shuttered his Medford office abruptly in…

Uniontown, Ohio-based Pioneer Physicians Network has added Salem (Ohio) Family Care to its 18-practice network. According to a June 3 news release, Salem Family Care will join the network effective Jan. 1, 2027. The addition includes three physicians and two…

Independent practice in 2026 is not for the faint of heart. Between 2019 and 2023, the share of independent physician practices owned by hospitals, health systems or other corporate entities jumped from 39% to 59%. Over the same period, physician…

Independent practice has been declining over the last  20 years, with the most recent data indicating that only 18% of physicians still practice in physician-owned settings.  Just 36.1% of practices remain physician-owned — down by 48.5% since 2018 — according…

Chattanooga, Tenn.-based University Surgical Associates in Chattanooga, Tenn., has hit 50 years in practice.  According to a news release shared with Becker’s May 17, the surgical group was founded in 1976 by Phillip Burns, MD, as a two-physician practice and…

The vertical integration of independent physician practices into large, corporate entities, hospitals and health systems has been a dominant trend in healthcare over the last 20 years,  Lawmakers at both the state and federal levels have been pushing back on…

Prior authorization continues to be a significant burden for physicians and their patients despite recent promises by payers to cut down on PA requirements, according to the American Medical Association’s “2025 AMA Prior Authorization Physician Survey” released May 13.  The…

Direct primary care has been gaining momentum as a practice model that can cut through the extensive wait times, short appointment windows and excessive costs that both physicians and patients have come to associate with primary care.  Patients at DPC…

As the shortage of physicians in the U.S. continues to place strain on communities and health systems across the country, innovative physician recruitment and retainment strategies are becoming essential to organizational strategy and growth.  Pinehurst, N.C.-based Sandhill Emergency Physicians, an…