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Richard Helppie's Common BridgeAuthor: Richard Helppie
The problems we have in the country are solvable, but not solvable the way were approaching them today, because of partisan politics. Richard Helppie, a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist seeks to find a place in the middle where common sense discussions can bridge the current great divide. Language: en-us Genres: News, News Commentary, Politics Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Episode 349- Keeping Independent Practices Alive. with Preston Alexander
Episode 349
Friday, 23 October, 2026
Independent doctors are being squeezed out of the market, and it’s not because they forgot how to practice medicine. It’s because the business side of healthcare has turned into a maze of Medicare fee schedule pressure, weak commercial payer contracts, delayed payments, denials, clawbacks, and rising costs that hit small practices the hardest.We’re joined by Preston Alexander of Forward Slash Health for a blunt, practical conversation about what it takes to keep physicians independent. We get into the mechanics: why “managing by bank balance” hides the truth, how revenue cycle management has to connect to a real profit and loss view, and what changes when you can estimate expected payment by CPT code and payer and match it to the true cost of delivering that visit. We also talk negotiation strategy, using price transparency data, joining a clinically integrated network, and the hard decision some practices face when a payer relationship guarantees losses.From there, we pull back to the bigger system. We debate what can actually move US healthcare, why for-profit insurers create foundational misalignment, and why employers controlling roughly a trillion dollars in spend may be the most powerful lever. We also dig into direct primary care and concierge medicine as a patient-centered model, while facing the uncomfortable reality of clinician shortages and a transition that won’t be painless. If you care about independent physician practices, patient access, and realistic healthcare reform, this conversation is for you.Subscribe, share this with a physician or practice leader, and leave a review so more people can find the show.Support the showEngage the conversation on Substack at The Common Bridge!
