11. Leaving insurance-based practice
Cash-pay founders Planned episode, the cash-pay practice. Founding stories from members.
Listener title: Leaving insurance-based practice: a founder on the decision
Listener description: A direct primary care or concierge founder talks through leaving insurance-based practice: the moment the decision became clear, what they underestimated, and what they would tell a colleague deciding now. For physicians and advanced practice providers weighing the move, and for founders a few years in who want to think back on their own decision.
Run of show (about 40 minutes)
| Time | Segment | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00 to 2:00 | Opening | Host introduces the topic and the guest's role. The guest discloses any industry relationships. Host notes that guests speak for themselves, not for the network, and that no patient information is discussed. |
| 2:00 to 7:00 | Before and after | The guest describes the practice they left and the one they founded: the model, the setting and the work they do now. No fees are named. |
| 7:00 to 16:00 | The deciding moment | What was the deciding moment? Was it one event or an accumulation? Who did the guest talk it through with, and how long passed between deciding and leaving? |
| 16:00 to 26:00 | What they underestimated | What did the guest underestimate: the time, the cost of getting started, the work of running a business, the isolation, patients' questions about the model? What turned out better than expected? The guest speaks from their own experience only. |
| 26:00 to 35:00 | For someone deciding now | What would the guest tell someone deciding now? What would they do first? Which questions did they take to their own counsel or accountant before giving notice, for example about an employment contract or malpractice coverage, and which do they wish they had asked sooner? The questions are named on air; the answers belong with each listener's own advisors. |
| 35:00 to 40:00 | Closing | One practical takeaway: before giving notice, write down the reasons for leaving and the list of questions for your own counsel and accountant. To reach the network, email hello@coloradocarenetwork.com with a topic in two sentences; physicians and APPs can express interest on the Join page, coloradocarenetwork.com/join/; members can post in #podcast on Slack. |
Guest prep questions (sent to the guest a week ahead)
- What practice did you leave, and what did you found? Please describe the model in a sentence or two (direct primary care, concierge or hybrid) without naming fees.
- What was the deciding moment, and how long passed between that moment and your last day in the old practice?
- What did you underestimate most: the time, the cost of getting started, running the business, or something else? What went better than you expected?
- Which questions did you take to your own counsel or accountant before leaving, and which do you wish you had asked sooner? We won't give legal or financial advice on air; we would like to name the questions.
- What would you tell a physician or APP who is deciding now, and is there any part of your story you would rather we leave out?
Show notes
A direct primary care or concierge founder describes leaving insurance-based practice: the moment the decision became clear, what they underestimated, and what they would tell a colleague deciding now. The conversation is one founder's experience, not a recommendation for any practice model. Contract, legal and tax questions are named on the episode but left to each listener's own counsel and accountant.
- Sources and tools:
- Practice toolkit, https://coloradocarenetwork.com/practice/ : "Templates for the business side of an independent, cash-pay practice. They are starting points, not legal or billing advice: check them against current CMS guidance and with your own counsel. Prices are discussed as method, never as agreement."
- No patient information is discussed on this episode.
All planned episodes. To be the guest for this episode, email hello@coloradocarenetwork.com with the episode number.