COLLABORATE UNIFY HEAL
Collaboration in Private Practice
“
Why
by Thomas S. Higgins, MD, MBA, MPH
can’ t you all just talk about my condition and let me know the plan?”
The question caught me mid-thought. It was asked with the refreshing innocence of a patient desiring only the best care for
herself. To her, it was pure common sense. I could tell she envisioned my afternoon including a casual rendezvous at a local coffee shop, leaning over a table with her primary care physician and other specialists to untangle her diagnostic mystery over coffee.
It was an endearing thought. In fact, it sounded remarkably like my medical school study groups and those late-night sessions fueled by shared curiosity, whiteboard sketches and the collective thrill of cracking a difficult puzzle together.
Her instinct was spot on. Healthcare is fundamentally an interconnected, team sport.
Yet her question stung. Her care was scattered across three competing hospital networks, urgent care notes, two duplicate metabolic panels ordered within 48 hours of each other and a repeat CT scan because the previous facility’ s imaging disc would not load.
In independent practice, collaboration has its challenges. There is no shared electronic health record( EHR) or physical hallway. We cannot simply route a quick message through a single-source portal, nor can we rely on a centralized directory to connect us with the right specialist.
Yet, professional autonomy affords the independent physician remarkable agility. We have the freedom to construct dynamic, customized referral patterns across facilities, specifically tailored to the patient sitting in front of us. We can partner seamlessly across the entire healthcare network, collaborating just as closely with our independent peers as we do with the exceptional physicians in our local health systems and academic centers.
True communication happens physician-to-physician. Understanding this concept drives us to cultivate deeply authentic professional relationships. Whether I am reaching out to a hospital-employed colleague about a complex case or calling a fellow private practitioner to coordinate a treatment timeline, the shared clinical mission instantly dismantles any structural barriers between us.
A boundary-less approach demands intentionality. It is the conscious effort to pick up the phone and brief a referring provider before the patient even leaves the clinic parking lot. It is the dedication to dictating a thoughtful, narrative clinical summary. By utilizing this inherent agility, independent physicians act as clinical bridge-builders.
I looked back at the patient sitting in the exam chair, smiled and promised her I would personally connect with her care team.
Later that afternoon, between clinic encounters, I made the calls. There was no coffee, and we were miles apart, but as her physicians traded insights and aligned on a unified strategy, the energy of those late-night whiteboard sessions returned. We were cracking the puzzle together.
Our time constraints may not allow for a casual meeting at a local café, but the spirit of her request remains the heartbeat of our profession. Ultimately, collaboration is not built by a single organizational structure; it relies on shared human commitment. When we proactively reach out to bridge digital and physical gaps, we restore the connection at the center of healthcare, delivering the cohesive, exceptional care our patients instinctively know they deserve.
Dr. Higgins is a rhinologist in private practice at Kentuckiana ENT, a division of ENTCC, and President and Chairman of the Board of ENT Care Centers( ENTCC).
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