We've been busy for the last few months deciding on a business strategy, hopefully one which will help us survive the coming changes in healthcare. We've decided to decline the offer to be bought by a hospital or large medical group. But we also do not want to become irrelevant or obsolete. So, insert drum roll here, we have decided to grow! This was not an easy decision. The doctors at our clinic have a unique and enviable chemistry, and we like working together. We genuinely love our staff and care about them as people. Growing our clinic could threaten all of that. However, much of what is coming in healthcare from the new federal healthcare law threatens clinics which are too small (see my first blog on ACOs). So, we've decided to grow, and next month hope to open our second location in the Lake Travis area. There may be a third sometime this year as well. Our target likely will be to have 20 or so providers who are part of our team within the next 12-24 months (we have about 16 now). The trick will be to grow deliberately and wisely so as to maintain our small practice feel, yet rapidly enough to qualify to be an ACO by 2012. We'll also be changing our name!
In the end we all may work for the Federal government. My guess is ACO mania will prove to be a flop, and cost savings will be inadequate to pay for increased utilization. But, that may take 10 years to play itself out, and we will continue to run the race as best we can.
Dr. Frederick
