Meet a local group pooling its expertise to help area medical providers take the plunge into entrepreneurship.
What jumpstarted this idea?
Amanda McKinnon
We were all finding that there are plenty of providers who want to have their own independent practice but don't know where to start. They can get quickly deterred, so we wanted to bring a group together to be a resource for all of their needs, whether they're buying an existing practice or starting one up.
John Lillestol
A physician has a very busy schedule to begin with, so not having to worry about (the business) is big for them. And trying to coordinate all the people they need to even get their practice started is incredibly difficult. Amanda McKinnon MSPIRE Specialty: Branding, marketing
Delrae Amann Professional Resources, Ltd. Specialty: Practice startup and development
Corey Elmer
The goal is to provide a one-stop shop for independent medical professionals to start, build and operate a practice.
Why an Independent Provider? What Is the Independent Resource Committee?
While most people default to using a larger healthcare system, that might change if more employers communicated to their employees that independent providers are an option, too, says McKinnon.
While most independent medical providers in the area belong to a network called the Heartland Healthcare Network, Heartland is unable to provide all startup services to a new practice.
"The personal care is like no other," she says. "I've been seeing independent providers since I was 5 years old, and there is no comparison, quite honestly. People just need to understand that they have a choice."
Enter the Independent Resource Committee, a group of 10 local experts from different industries who have banded together to help fill in the gaps. What makes the IRC unique is its Ă la carte delivery model, which allows an entrepreneurial-minded provider to purchase services from any of the 10 members to help them get their small business off the ground.
Lillestol, whose family founded Lillestol Research, says that even if providers at larger healthcare systems wanted to spend more time with patients, organizational realities often prevent them from doing so. “It's important to establish relationships with healthcare providers who become familiar with your personal medical history," he explains. "This is difficult if visits are scheduled with different providers each time. At an independent practice, every effort is made for consistency in care. That's the biggest difference."
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