Restoring The Joy and Sustainability of Independent Primary Care Practices
- Nailah Jinnah, Principal
- Aug 21
- 2 min read
Independent Primary Care practices face numerous challenges that often worsen physician burnout and contribute to practice acquisitions. At the same time, the allure of private equity acquisition is diminishing, with many practices expressing regret post-acquisition. By creatively addressing these market realities, health systems have an opportunity to foster meaningful alignment by focusing on restoring the joy of clinical practice.
The Challenge
Primary Care physicians experience high levels of burnout. Coupled with fears of income instability during COVID and ongoing staffing challenges, many physicians have explored alternatives to independent practice. The 2024 Survey of America’s Physicians1, conducted by The Physicians Foundation, showed that independent physicians are disproportionately affected, with 40% experiencing a decline in income compared to 23% of employed physicians. Moreover, 63% of Primary Care physicians and 57% of Specialists strongly or somewhat agree that they often feel burned out.
The Opportunity
Innovative health systems are fostering meaningful alignment by creatively addressing today’s market challenges and investing in options that support the viability of independent practice. To help restore the joy and sustainability of independent practice, health systems can implement programs such as:
Objective | Description |
Supporting long-term practice financial viability | • Access to new contract-terms through clinical integration and their associated revenue streams, including both fee-for-service and value-based/risk arrangements • Reduce infrastructure costs through shared resources (EMR, population health analytics, care management resources, staffing, management service organization [MSO] billing) • Support for malpractice coverage, etc. |
Improving efficiency | • Recruitment support for staff and physicians • Integrate ambient AI and virtual scribes to reduce documentation burden • Reduce low-value work, including EHR clicks, and inbox notifications • Eliminate unnecessary mandatory training requirements • Streamline insurance approvals with pre-authorization support • Use of AI tools to streamline administrative or operational tasks • Implement data-driven dashboards |
Supporting clinician wellbeing and professional development | • Establish and nurture a community of practice that includes bridging the Primary Care/Specialty chasm • Supporting after-hours coverage with patient-nurse advice lines • Offer clinician wellbeing initiatives • Create peer support and coaching programs • Recognize and celebrate clinical excellence |
What approaches has your organization taken to support independent Primary Care? We'd love to hear your perspective. If you would like to discuss strategies for increasing physician alignment by restoring the joy of independent clinical practice, please contact Nailah Jinnah, Principal, BDC Advisors at (607) 351-9939 or nailah.jinnah@bdcadvisors.com.