On/Offcall: Help Us Celebrate Independent Physicians

Welcome back to On/Offcall!

We’re celebrating every single independent physician, but we need your help!

As more and more physicians consciously choose to go (or remain!) independent, we want to recognize and spotlight the trailblazing doctors who are reinventing new models and paving a different path forward despite the many challenges. So this week, we decided to put out a call on social media to compile a definitive list of these physicians, and the response has been incredible! Each one of the doctors tagged in the post are working to restore autonomy for themselves, provide better patient care, and lead the way for the profession.

❓So here’s the ask: Are you an independent physician or practice? Or do you know someone who is leading one?! Drop a comment, or reply back directly, with:
– Your (or the physicians’) name or practice name and specialty
– Why you chose independent medicine
– What you’re most proud of (i.e. care, reimbursement model, etc.), in a few words

We’ll feature each one tagged in this newsletter to get them the attention they deserve!! ❤️ Starting us off by showcasing a few of the physicians who have already been nominated: Dr. Ajay Bhatnagar, a radiation oncologist at Prostate Cancer Institute of America, Dr. Demetrio Aguila, founder and owner of Total Pain Solutions by Healing Hands of Nebraska, PC, Dr. Steven Murphy, a concierge regenerative medicine specialist, Dr. Raji Akileh and Dr. Sarah Nasir, who also lead the startup MedEd Cloud, and Dr. Amy Davis, practice owner at Palliative Medicine & Supportive Care.

Read the full list and weigh in here.

Know someone who would benefit from joining our community? Help us grow our tent by forwarding this newsletter to your physician colleagues and subscribing here.

Paving a New Path for AI-Driven Healthcare With One of the OG MD-Entrepreneurs

This week on How I Doctor, Offcall’s co-founder Dr. Graham Walker spoke to an entrepreneurial physician who’s spent his entire career shaking up the status quo…

…That would be none other than Dr. Jay Parkinson, a physician who finished residency the day after the iPhone launched and who has since gone on to build his career around freedom, design, and building smarter healthcare systems. Today, that spirit has led him to found Automate Clinic, an ambitious effort enabling doctors to fine-tune AI models to make sure they're clinically sound and accurate.

In the episode, Jay and Graham dive into:
➡️ Why medicine desperately needs better design, not just more regulation
➡️ How physician-led innovation can fix broken systems
➡️ Why AI in healthcare must be designed by doctors, not just tech companies
➡️ How to rethink what success looks like in this profession

As Graham eloquently put it: “I think you’re such a good role model, Jay. It’s okay to find your own path in medicine. You’ve proven you can be extremely successful doing so.”

Listen to the full episode here

Physician Builder Spotlight: Farshid Kazi

We’re shining light on MD-entrepreneurs! Each week, we feature an entrepreneurial doctor who’s building a cool product, company, or working on a big idea that you definitely want to know about. This week, meet Farshid Kazi, founder of DoctusTech (more on the company below!). You can connect further with Farshid on LinkedIn.

1. Farshid, what inspired you to become a physician entrepreneur? Like many physicians, I was initially drawn to medicine to help people in vulnerable moments. But as I spent more time in the clinic, I encountered a recurring frustration: I could only help one patient at a time, while administrative burdens and system inefficiencies continued to grow. Conversations with colleagues revealed that these were systemic challenges. I saw an opportunity to use technology to meaningfully address many of these barriers and create solutions informed directly by clinical experience. So, transitioning into entrepreneurship became a way to extend the impact of my work beyond individual patient encounters, thereby helping to improve both care delivery and the physician experience on a broader scale.

2. Tell us what your company does and the problem you're trying to solve. DoctusTech helps physician organizations succeed in value-based care by reducing the administrative burdens that take time away from patients. In risk-based models, accurate HCC coding, proper documentation, and timely gap closure are essential, but they often overwhelm physicians and staff. We provide a suite of services that combines HCC education, AI-powered point-of-care insights, and automated compliance reviews, all integrated directly into existing clinician, coder, and scribe workflows. By fitting into how providers already work, we deliver measurable results: 90% data accuracy, 200% improvement in coder output, and 90% gap closure rates. Our goal is simple: let clinicians focus on patient care while organizations succeed in value-based care.

3. What's your advice to anyone who's thinking about entrepreneurship? Early in my career, one of my mentors told me: Do right by your patients, and the money will follow. At the time, I was learning to balance the pressures of cost containment with doing what was best for each patient. He reminded me that real value comes from consistently making decisions based on patient needs. Sometimes that meant ordering more tests, sometimes fewer, but always with the patient’s best interest at the center.

That same principle has guided me as an entrepreneur. Healthcare is complex, highly regulated, and deeply personal. You can’t force hyper growth in this space. In early stages, it’s tempting to over-customize for your first clients or to prioritize the needs of decision-makers who control budgets. But success ultimately depends on whether the solution works for the clinicians and care teams who use it every day. My advice: Stay patient, stay focused on solving real problems for real users, and build solutions that create true clinical and operational value. When you do that, business growth tends to follow as a natural outcome, just like in patient care.

4. How can a physician overcome their biggest fear to start a company? Physicians have a unique advantage when it comes to entrepreneurship: we live the problems we aim to solve every day. That perspective allows us to identify meaningful problems that often go unnoticed from the outside. The key is to stay curious and critical of the patterns you observe. Validate whether others, colleagues, care teams, or organizations are experiencing the same challenges. Once you’ve identified a true problem, design a simple way to test your solution and measure its impact. If the results show real value, trust your instincts and commit. Like patient care, building something that makes a lasting difference requires focus, discipline, and full engagement.

5. What's the #1 lesson you've learned since building your company that wasn't obvious before? Success is one-third team, one-third product, and one-third luck. While luck is out of your control, you can be deliberate about building the right team and the right product. The more intentional you are about those two, the better positioned you’ll be to capitalize when luck shows up.

6. Name the top resources you found most helpful to get going. Healthcare-focused podcasts have been invaluable. Hearing how others are tackling challenges in the space makes entrepreneurship feel less daunting and often sparks new ideas. I’ve also found value in reading a broad range of sales and marketing books, which helped me build a strong foundation for customer development, positioning, and growth. Finally, I’ve gravitated toward books and podcasts that explore purpose and founder journeys. Learning how others have handled the ups and downs of entrepreneurship and what they’ve learned along the way has been incredibly insightful. Reach out, I’m happy to give specific recommendations 🙂

7. How can other physicians support you? Let others know how to get in touch. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn, I’m always happy to share experiences or help however I can. The best way to support DoctusTech is by staying curious. If you’re part of a physician organization exploring ways to improve value-based care performance, I’d be glad to have a conversation and show how we’re helping others succeed.

This excerpt has been shortened, be sure to read the full article here. Know someone else who should be featured? Reply or tag them and their company in the comments!

The Best Things to Read This Week

Lessons About Public Health Communication From a Scientist With 3.5 Million Followers (Stat News)
Morgan McSweeney, aka “dr.noc,” shares public health and communication insights from his work as a social media influencer.

How the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ Affects Doctors (White Coat Investor)
How physicians will be impacted positively and negatively by the new bill, including a specific breakdown on student loans. Also read the WSJ’s coverage: How Healthcare Cuts in the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Will Affect Americans. And this post from Dr. Cheyennae Barbee and another from Tyler Olson about the student loans implications.

Here’s Why More Hospitals Are Turning to Nurse Practitioners (Medscape)
A deep dive on the pros and cons of new healthcare staffing models.

What 500 Doctors Taught Me About the Future of Healthcare (Daniel Zahler)
I interviewed over 500 doctors across every specialty you can think of. Here’s what I’ve learned.

Highlights From Our Community

Each week, we celebrate career milestones, launches, & other goings-on in the physician community. Have something to promote? Reply and we’ll feature you.

🎊 Congratulations, TIME 100 Creators!
Several physicians were featured on this year’s TIME100 Creators 2025 list: medical mythbuster Joel Bervell and Dr. Mary Claire Haver. Well done and way to represent!

✅ Well stated, Ethan Mollick 
Wharton professor Ethan Mollick reflected on why getting the most out of AI will come down to not the tools themselves, but on the skills and creativity of the user (which is also why we’re excited to host more AI webinars for clinicians!). Read it here.

👍 Thanks for speaking up, David Hall
Urologist Dr. David Hall spoke up about a scary incident he witnessed from a co-resident and the need to talk more openly about burnout and changing the culture of medicine. Read it here.

👉 Follow this space, David Higgins
Pediatrician Dr. David Higgins spoke out about why several organizations – including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American College of Physicians (ACP), American Public Health Association (APHA), Infectious Diseases Society of America, Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM), and the Massachusetts Public Health Alliance – are suing RFK, Jr. over vaccine policy. Read his post here.

👍👍 But wait there’s this, Susan Kressly
On the topic of pediatrics, AAP president Dr. Susan Kressly also reflected on why there’s no better time to be a pediatrician. Read it here.

👍👍👍 And while on that note…
The AAP awarded its Pediatric Interest Group of the Year Award to the Pritzker School of Medicine Pediatrics Interest Group, led by Dr. Lolita Alkureishi, Dr. Poj Lysouvakon, Dr. Erin King, and Dr. Simon Parzen-Johnson. Learn more about it here.

💯 Strong work, Hardeep Phull
Dr. Hardeep Phull is MedPage Today’s Synopsi content curator for the summer. Check out the second segment of the series about the role of tumor microenvironment (TME) in CLL and follicular lymphoma here.

🎉 Congratulations, Michele Arnold
Dr. Michele Arnold was awarded the 2025 Cecil Cutting Award, the highest physician honor by The Permanente Medical Group, for her exceptional work as an anesthesiologist and leader. Read Dr. Rita Ng’s tribute post here.

🎉🎉 More congrats are in order, Shivam Vedak
Dr. Shivam Vedak is starting a new position as Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford! Wish him congratulations here.

🙌 Exciting news, Tracey Henry
Dr. Tracey L. Henry delivered a Policy Brief presentation as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow on the important topic: “Reforming Physician Payment to Strengthen Chronic Care.” Read more about it here.

🎙️ Worth the listen, MC Bourque
Dr. Marie Claire Bourque was featured on the Ditch the Labcoat podcast to discuss burnout in medicine and why we’ve normalized coaching for performance in every field – except medicine. Read commentary from Olga Rumyantseva and listen here.

✅ Bravo, Abu Rogers
An inspiring post from MD-MBA student Abu Rogers, who reflected on how losing a loved one shaped his perspective on life, career, and what he hopes to accomplish in medicine and business. Read it here.

❗Physician opportunity alert, Rami Wehbi
Dr. Rami Wehbi is offering spots for a Physician Consulting Fellowship on August 1st to learn how to set up an MD consulting practice. Learn more here.

➡️ Thank you, Graham
And finally, Graham spoke out about why Medicaid Work Requirements are “Prior Auth for Poverty” in a viral post which sparked a big conversation on social media. ICYMI, read the post and weigh in here.

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