Fact checked byShenaz Bagha

Read more

October 26, 2023
2 min read
Save

First Rheumatology Private Practice Alliance summit to ‘help your private practice rise’

Fact checked byShenaz Bagha
You've successfully added to your alerts. You will receive an email when new content is published.

Click Here to Manage Email Alerts

We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com.

Approximately 125 rheumatologists and fellows are set to participate in the first Rheumatology Private Practice Alliance Growth Summit, where attendees will discuss the complicated world of private practice management in the specialty.

Scheduled for Friday, Oct. 27, through Sunday, Oct. 29, at the Hyatt LAX in Los Angeles, the inaugural summit will feature talks on retaining physicians and setting up a strong human resources foundation. In addition to the sessions focused on the nuts and bolts of private practice management and success, there will be several discussions dedicated to networking to make sure everyone leaves with a stronger sense of community than they arrived with.

Tien-I Karleen Su

“Come and network with your fellow rheumatologists and discover resources to help your private practice rise,” Tien-I Karleen Su, MD, a founder of the Rheumatology Private Practice Alliance and rheumatologist at Amicus Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center, in California, told potential attendees during an interview with Healio. “This event was born out of the desire of an engaging rheumatology private practice group on Facebook to meet in-person. This group was started in 2019 with just a few members and has since grown to 950-plus members by word of mouth.”

The agenda is wide-reaching, but some of the most anticipated sessions will focus on maintaining physician talent and growing skills to ensure continued growth of a practice.

“The thing I am looking forward to the most is the ‘Physician Partnerships Explored’ session,” Su said. “We have gotten a lot of questions about structuring partnerships — that is the biggest thing we struggle with.”

That session, scheduled for the afternoon of Oct. 28, will outline different models and strategies that private practices have used to partner with physicians.

Meanwhile, Oct. 27 sessions of interest will include SEO, web design and social media strategies for practices, as well as a talk on innovative models of care, which will aim to summarize the potential utility and differences present between direct and concierge care models in rheumatology.

Additionally, on the evening of Oct. 27, Elaine Stageberg, MD, MHA, will provide a presentation during the welcome dinner that illustrates potential strategies physicians can use to achieve financial independence.

“I learned how important it is for physicians to really take their finances more seriously and to really learn the ropes of building wealth and not depend on the practice as a source of income,” Su said.

Other sessions will focus on getting involved with clinical trials, cybersecurity tips and the importance of physician advocacy in rheumatology. The agenda also features opportunities for attendees to network and get to know each other, including a job fair and a speed networking event, during which attendees can get new headshots taken, Su said.

Finally, the Oct. 29 sessions will include a hands-on workshop for rheumatologists to practice useful dermatologic skills such as skin biopsies and Botox injections for Raynaud’s syndrome.

According to Su, the goal for the partnership is to host an event championing private practice in rheumatology each year. Planning for a 2024 meeting is already underway, and the planning committee is considering venues more conducive to a national audience, she said.

The full agenda can be viewed here. For information on how to join the Rheumatology Private Practice Alliance, email info@rppa.com.