Private Practice

The private practice model is an attractive option for physicians who seek to provide more personalized medical care for their patients. This collection of AMA STEPS Forward^® practice innovation strategies offers the support and resources physicians need to start or sustain a flourishing private practice.

• Playbooks: Collections of related interventions
  • Private Practice Playbook Start or sustain a successful private practice by understanding the characteristics, benefits and challenges of this practice model.
  • Saving Time Playbook Stop unnecessary work, share essential tasks and gain organizational leadership support.
• Podcasts
  • Starting Your Own Private Practice 0.25 Credit CMEUnderstand some considerations for starting your own practice, key elements to include to be successful and challenges physicians face when getting started.
  • Sustaining Your Private Practice 0.25 Credit CMELearn to mitigate risks to your practice’s sustainability, understand why private practice still is a viable option for many physicians and see the importance of leveraging your network for your practice.
  • Private Practice Efficiencies 0.25 Credit CMEBetter understand some of the common workflow challenges private practices face, how to streamline processes to increase your team’s productivity, and key AMA resources that can support physicians.
  • Transitioning Into Private Practice From Residency 0.25 Credit CMELearn the different types of private practice settings, key challenges to setting up and running a private practice, and recommendations for current residents.
  • Telehealth Services for Private Practice 0.25 Credit CMEHear about the different clinical services included in telehealth, key considerations and emerging technologies in telehealth solutions, and the impact on medical coding.
  • Contracting in Private Practice 0.25 Credit CMELearn what a “payor” is in terms of contracting with a medical practice, the main considerations that practices should have in mind when starting contracting, and how physicians can mitigate the complexity.
  • Private Practice Administrative Issues Part I 0.25 Credit CMEFind strategies to ease staffing issues, ways to address scheduling concerns and what is included in the management of practice supplies.
  • Private Practice Administrative Issues Part II 0.25 Credit CMEHear some strategies to decrease the burden of prior authorization, learn about AMA’s prior authorization reform advocacy efforts and how private practices should handle payor audits.
  • Private Practice Payment Models 0.25 Credit CMEUnderstand payment models and how they relate to private practice, proposed changes to the payment system and the real-world impact of these payment reforms on physician practices.
  • Social Determinants of Health in Private Practice 0.25 Credit CMEBetter understand social determinants of health and its impact on private practices, methods to engage your community and key leadership, and a plan to address social determinants of health at your practice.
  • How to Join, Build, or Sustain a Private Practice Learn how to navigate the private practice landscape and where to find AMA’s resources to support building a private practice.
  • Thriving in Private Practice Podcast Series Gain advice from AMA experts on the best path to make your practice flourish.
  • What to Look for in Your First or Next Practice Alexandra Ristow, MD, discusses why it’s important to consider your priorities when it comes to maximizing professional satisfaction.
  • Medical Assistant Recruitment and Retention James Jerzak, MD, and Christine Dzoga, BS, CMA (AAMA), discuss finding and keeping the right MAs for a team-based care model.
• Webinars
  • Private Practice Simple Solutions Learn about no-cost, open-access, rapid learning cycles designed to help you make actionable changes and quickly increase efficiency in your private practice.
  • E/M Documentation – Private Practice Understand guidelines, engage key players, design workflows, educate physicians and staff, and use new E/M codes.
  • Recruiting Physicians Into Your Private Practice Learn strategies for attracting top talent, ways to position your practice and how to counter recruitment competition.
  • Support Staff Recruitment - Private Practice Find out how employee empowerment, good culture, trusting your team to “own the process,” work/life balance, and fair compensation can all support the recruitment process.
• Toolkits: How-to guides for implementation
  • AMA Private Practice Sustainability Find tools and resources to help private practices navigate their current, often-fluid environment.
  • Racial and Health Equity: Concrete STEPS for Smaller Practices 0.5 Credit CMETranslate your commitment to racial and health equity into action in your practice.
  • What to Look for in Your First or Next Practice 0.5 Credit CMEEvaluate the practice environment to match your priorities.
  • Revenue Cycle Management Streamline and automate the revenue side of your practice, including eligibility checks, claims submissions and payments.
  • Team-Based Care 0.5 Credit CMEImprove patient care and team engagement through collaboration and streamlined processes.
  • Simplified Outpatient Documentation and Coding Reduce workload with recent updates to E/M coding and team documentation.
• Success Stories: Real-world examples
  • Two Private Practices Thrive with Telemedicine Learn how two private practices in Colorado used videoconferencing and a robot to make telemedicine work for their clinics.
  • Small Private Practice Adapts to Telemedicine During COVID-19 See how a small private practice quickly redesigned physical features of the practice and implemented a low-cost telemedicine approach.
  • Read more Success Stories
• Resources
  • The Private Practice Playbook: Sample Forms Appendix Access and customize a collection of templated forms for independent physician practices that address patient, employee and administrative needs.
  • Practical Tools Access key resources including seven STEPS to starting a private practice, how to implement a work-from-home program and a guide to recruiting to your private practice.
  • Checklists to Help Bolster Mental Health Care Learn how to integrate mental health care into private practices that care for adult and pediatric patients.
  • Find more resources