Preview: Can independent medical practices still succeed? Our expert panel

Independent medical practices remain the backbone of patient access and continuity in communities nationwide, but the business model is under strain. Medical Economics and Physicians Practice will publish a new expert panel discussion that tackles the question head-on: Can independent practices still succeed? And if so, how?

Find the full conversation available at MedicalEconomics.com and PhysiciansPractice.com on Tuesday, Nov. 18.

Meet the panel

Moderator

Rebekah Bernard, M.D. — Family physician and owner of Gulf Cost Direct Primary Care in Fort Myers, Florida. Bernard, who hosts the Physicians Taking Back Medicine podcast, brings a front‑line independent practice perspective and a practical lens on policy, operations and patient care.

Panelists

David Eagle, M.D. — President of the American Independent Medical Practice Association (AIMPA). Eagle focuses on policy — including site-neutral payment reform — and how an “unlevel playing field” has shaped today’s competitive landscape.

Andrew Hertz, M.D. — President and co-founder of Zest Pediatric Network, a physician-owned collaborative and management services organization (MSO) supporting direct primary care pediatrics. Hertz shares lessons on scaling independence through shared contracting, technology and administrative infrastructure.

Melissa Lucarelli, M.D., FAAFP — Family physician and owner of Randolph Community Clinic in rural Wisconsin, and a long-time Editorial Advisor for Medical Economics. Lucarelli contributes firsthand insight into keeping a small practice viable while serving a community’s primary care needs.

Andrew Swanson, M.P.A., FACMPE — Chief Revenue Officer at the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA). Swanson brings industry-leading insight into physician compensation, payer trends and the business metrics driving practice viability.

What’s on the table

Expect a candid survey of the current landscape and where it’s headed. Panelists will start by sizing up the health of independent practice in 2025 and whether recent market shifts — including divestitures by large systems and private equity — are nudging physicians back toward ownership.

From there, the conversation moves quickly to the nuts and bolts: payer dynamics, budgeting against rising costs and the operational moves that protect margins without compromising care.

Payment parity, policy friction

A central thread in the discussion circles how policy choices shape the field.

Panelists will examine the reality of stagnant physician fee‑schedule updates versus rising hospital payments, and the renewed push for site‑neutral reforms that would level rates for the same services regardless of setting. They’ll also weigh how much relief is realistic in the near-term, and what advocacy targets (from inflationary updates to noncompete restrictions) would matter most for independent groups.

Cutting the administrative drag

Prior authorizations remain at the top of the list of the biggest headaches for small practices.

The discussion will explore near‑term tactics to claw back time — standardizing criteria and streamlining workflows to rethinking when to pursue a prior authorization at all — alongside broader reform ideas that could take friction out of routine prescribing, imaging and durable medical equipment.

Using AI without losing the plot

Artificial intelligence (AI) and automation promise efficiency gains in documentation, coding, revenue cycle management (RCM) and population health, but affordability and integration are real hurdles. The panel will address where AI is already paying off, where it is still too costly for lean teams and what to look for as electronic health records (EHRs) bake more ambient and assistive tools directly into the workflow. The goal: concrete guidance on adopting technology that saves time without creating new expense lines or risk.

Building scale without selling out

Independence does not have to mean isolation. Expect a pragmatic tour of collaborative models — from physician‑owned MSOs to clinically integrated networks and specialty‑specific collaboratives — that can deliver contracting leverage, shared analytics, cybersecurity support and staffing stability while preserving physician control.

The panel will outline what “good governance” looks like in these arrangements and where practices should be cautious.

When the full discussion goes live, take away talking points you can act on: revenue and expense levers worth pulling now; advocacy priorities with the best odds of traction; realistic playbooks for prior authorization; and a clear-eyed view of which technology bets make sense for smaller organizations today.

When the full discussion lands Nov. 18, expect more than talking points.

The panel delivers practical, week‑one takeaways — where to tighten operations, how to push for fairer payment, and what kind of technology investments make sense right now. For anyone running or managing an independent practice, it’s an hour well spent on how to stay in control and keep your doors open in 2025 and beyond.