Running a scaling, multi-location practice means time is your most valuable asset. We know you don't have hours to scour the web for industry news, so we've hand-picked insights for you.
From what happens when your patients hand their paperwork to an AI agent to where health system leaders expect the next wave of deals to land, here are the most actionable reads you need to stay ahead this week.
Roughly one in four weekly ChatGPT users ask health questions, most of them outside clinic hours. Getting from that conversation to actual care needs three pieces the system can’t provide yet: a patient's full record in one place, proof they authorized software to act for them, and a clinician to own any medical decision. Your front desk is on the receiving end. (via Healthcare AI Guy)
Your new patient is still writing down medication history you could have pulled electronically. CMS's Kill the Clipboard push just hit its first anniversary, and digitizing records turned out to be the easy half. Information stays trapped inside individual systems, while shared data standards slowly shift the expectation toward records that follow the patient. Intake is where patients decide whether any of it worked. (via Healthcare Dive)
You have probably taken a call about partnering, affiliating, or selling. At a recent gathering of health system leaders, every poll respondent named outpatient services and ambulatory surgery centers as where they expect the most deal activity over the next two years. Those same leaders said governance, physician alignment, and integration readiness decide whether a deal actually works. (via McDermott Will & Schulte)
A breakdown of what in the name of AI you should actually be paying attention to: AI-native healthcare and the human-agent workforce
“AI-native healthcare” may sound impressive, but the key takeaway is clear: AI works best with clean, connected, and usable data. Winning companies won’t just add agents to chaotic systems. They’ll redesign workflows so humans and AI can collaborate safely and effectively.
Verdict: ✅ Worth paying attention to
When the schedule has holes in it, the instinct is to fill them. Whoever calls gets an appointment.
Jerry Durham has spent 35 years as a physical therapist and practice owner, and now runs front desk training as CEO of The Client Experience Company. He traces most cancellations and drop-offs back to that instinct. Practices hire warm, accommodating people to be the face of the front desk, then watch those people book patients who were never a fit for the service.
"Not all people who call your clinic today should be scheduled," Durham says. The job on the phone is qualification, and that takes someone who asks why the patient called before quoting an insurance benefit.
Durham's four-step process for hiring and training a front desk that qualifies instead of accommodates is worth the full read: what to screen for, the mindset shift owners have to make first, how to teach staff to probe caller intent, and how much decision authority to hand over.
Thanks for joining us for another edition of Practice Independence — we’ll see you next week!
PS: We bring together independent practice owners for off-the-record conversations about what's actually working. Small rooms. Real talk. Reply to this email if you’re interested in attending or hosting a dinner near you.
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Indie Health is the AI-native front desk operating system for independent practices.
Indie unifies calls, texts, fax, and intake workflows into one system so your team captures more patient demand, reduces front desk overhead, and operates more efficiently.
