2022-01-24

Carehub® Coworking- Helping To Level the Playing Field for Independent Physicians

January 18, 2022

The retailization of healthcare delivery and an uptick in mergers and acquisitions of physician practices by healthcare systems, insurance companies, and retailers creating large corporate-owned practices have made it difficult for independent physicians to compete and survive. Carehub Coworking’s carehub mission is to equip independent physicians, who still comprise approximately 40% of all patient care physicians AMA Analysis, with the tools that they need to flourish and compete in this rapidly changing environment.  Such tools include new flexible neighborhood-based outpatient clinics where people live, work, and play; access to referring physicians under the same roof; and the use of technology to reduce unnecessary overhead and staff.  Carehub also seeks to bring together value-based healthcare systems and independent physicians who seek opportunities for alignment.  

Deep pocket and technologically advanced corporate practices are opening new clinics at main and main locations in the suburbs and underserved urban areas.  Constrained by climbing supply and staff costs, most independent physicians cannot afford to open new clinics to serve additional markets.  Carehub, with the help of national healthcare development partners like Equity, LLC equity, solves this dilemma for independent physicians by offering low-cost, flexible medical office clinics and coworking space in new submarkets (where their patients live, work, and play) at a 70% to 85% discount to the cost of full-time space, with no out-of-pocket capital costs, and no long-term contracts.   

The consolidation of primary care physicians by private equity, insurance companies, and retailers has severed historical referral patterns for many independent specialists.  As a result, the majority of independent specialists are seeing 40% or more of their referrals disappear.   Committed to helping reverse this trend, Carehub partners with independent primary care groups (PCPs), many to whom participate in risk or captivated contracts, to build medical coworking space next to PCPs’ full-time locations.  To deliver value-based healthcare, such independent PCPs seek closer alignment with both independent specialists as well as specialists employed by healthcare systems. Carehub provides specialists low-cost, flexible medical coworking space next to PCPs that need them to thrive in order to provide excellent continuity of care for their patients.  

With rent typically representing only 11% to 13% of physicians’ overhead and labor historically being the largest expense of physicians, Carehub must not only provide low-cost, flexible medical office space for physicians, but it must also help physicians practice more efficiently with less staff.   This need becomes more acute as staff shortages increase due to COVID and wages rise due to inflationary pressure.  To solve for this need, Carehub offers friendly concierges and a proprietary kiosk check-in system designed for medical coworking space to help physicians eliminate unnecessary front-end staff.  It also offers physicians the ability to see patients virtually from Carehub facilities using telehealth.    

From offering flexible medical coworking space next to the finest primary care groups to increase net patient revenues, to developing technology to lower facility and staff costs, Carehub® is committed to helping independent physicians remain independent and helping them connect with healthcare systems that want them to succeed.  By aligning ourselves with key partners who are also committed to these goals, Carehub hopes to level the playing field for independent physicians.  Carehub Coworking, LLC is based in Austin, TX.  To learn more about Carehub®, visit www.carehubcoworking.com or email Lee Jackson at lee@carehubcoworking.com.

Written by Lee Jackson, CEO of Carehub Coworking, LLC