In 2021, Dr. Umar Bowers, medical director at Dawson Med in Wilmington, North Carolina, discovered what thousands of physicians across the country are learning: There's a better way to practice medicine that puts patients first while achieving financial stability.

While corporate medicine offers certain advantages, Bowers recognized an opportunity to enhance patient care through independent practice ownership. Like many physicians, he wanted to focus on comprehensive patient relationships rather than system-wide metrics. This vision led him to make the strategic decision to open his own independent practice — Dawson Med.

Before stepping out on his own, Bowers said his patient experiences were like "drinking from a fire hydrant." Every day, he felt like he didn't have enough time to provide the kind of care that he wanted to offer his patients.

Even when he opened the doors to his own practice, it felt similar, but the biggest difference was that he could "adjust the spigot of the fire hydrant."

"There's never going to be a time in which there's not that extra volume. But I think being able to be creative with how you manage your time, and that flexibility is what was really the impetus toward launching Dawson Med," he said. "Being able to control the levers, being able to control where I put my time, how I stack my patients at certain times of the day or the week and being closer to the decision-making made all the difference."

Bowers made the decision to start his own practice, but said he had the right partner to make it successful.

"Aledade does an amazing job. In order to be different from the large health care system in [your] area, there has to be a different level of service and the patient has to feel that difference," he said. "Aledade provides resources and tools that equip teams with the knowledge, skills and capabilities to [help their practice and their patients]."

Aledade's path empowers physicians to launch independent practices so they can focus on their patients and staff. Aledade offers physicians a different path that restores professional fulfillment and exceptional patient care while achieving financial stability. This approach puts clinical judgment, patient relationships and physician ownership back at the center of health care.

How does physician ownership support clinical autonomy?

While physicians in various settings may face external pressures and constraints, Aledade empowers physicians to maintain clinical autonomy and practice medicine on their own terms. Aledade supplies physicians with the tools to determine their own services, procedures and path of care, and, most importantly, leaves clinical decisions with the physician.

When physicians launch new practices with Aledade's collaboration, they join a robust network of independent primary care physicians, fostering peer support and mentorship. This collaborative approach means physicians get expert guidance while maintaining full decision-making authority.

Can having the freedom to focus on quality care be financially sustainable?

Value-based care creates new opportunities for meaningful patient interactions. When quality outcomes generate shared savings, physicians can invest in deeper care discussions. For example, when a hypertensive patient's improvement generates financial rewards, 30-minute appointments become not just good medicine, but good business.

After all, a remarkable 93% of Aledade ACOs earned shared savings, equaling, on average, $390,000 in shared savings per practice/clinic, making thorough follow-up visits and preventive care discussions financially sustainable.¹

How does independence support work-life integration?

To be successful, physicians need operational flexibility to serve both patients and personal commitments effectively. Practice ownership enables physicians to design scheduling that accommodates family priorities while maintaining excellent patient care.

The benefits extend beyond personal satisfaction. Physicians who control their work environment can hire staff who share their patient care philosophy and foster collaborative workplace cultures. This operational freedom creates more cohesive teams and efficient workflows that support both excellent patient care and physician well-being.² Aledade's solution preserves practice ownership while providing expert operational support.

Practice ownership offers personal and financial advantages that employed positions cannot match. Aledade enables physicians to utilize traditional fee-for-service revenue and value-based care opportunities. New practices generate new revenue while accessing shared savings from improved patient outcomes, quality bonuses and risk-based contracts.

Practice ownership within Aledade's model allows physicians to build long-term stability through business equity while investing in staff development and patient experience improvements that enhance both care quality and financial performance.

Professional fulfillment = Passionate care

When physicians regain control over their time, clinical decisions and finances, something happens: They rediscover why they chose to practice medicine. This professional fulfillment creates a cycle that allows for growth. The result isn't just better physician well-being; it's the high-quality, relationship-based health care that physicians and patients deserve.

Independence is waiting. Take the first step.

For physicians who've always envisioned running their own practice, the timing has never been better. Independent practice offers physicians clinical autonomy, direct patient relationships and the financial rewards that come with building their own enterprise.

The health care landscape is shifting, and physicians are seizing the opportunity to establish themselves as independent practitioners. Those ready to take ownership of their careers are discovering the profound satisfaction of practicing medicine on their own terms. The window for establishing successful independent practices remains wide open, but market dynamics favor those who act decisively.

Ready to take control? Your patients deserve a physician who's able to be fully invested in their care, and you deserve a practice that reflects your vision of medicine. Independent practice isn't just a career choice — it's a calling for physicians who want to shape the future of health care.

Visit Aledade to get started.

1. "Aledade ACOs Save Over $1 Billion in 2024," Aledade.
2. Underdahl L, Ditri M, Duthely LM. Physician Burnout: Evidence-Based Roadmaps to Prioritizing and Supporting Personal Wellbeing. J Healthc Leadersh. 2024 Jan 4;16:15-27.