Welcome back to On/Offcall!

This week, we dove headfirst into one of the most pressing conversations in medicine on our How I Doctor podcast…

… With the one and only Farzad Mostashari. If you don’t know Farzad, he’s a prolific health policy leader, physician, and the CEO of Aledade, the largest independent primary care network in the U.S. He’s a leading voice on the future of primary care and the rise of independent physician practices, and the perfect guest to discuss why so many physicians are opting to go independent.

Alongside our co-founder Dr. Graham Walker, Farzad unpacked the quiet (and not-so-quiet) revolution that’s happening in healthcare — as physicians are abandoning employment models that prioritize productivity, standardization, and profit in favor of new team-based, tech-enabled, and value-based care models.

They discuss:
- What’s truly fueling physician burnout (and why it’s not what you think)
- The “trapped” feeling that’s afflicting so many employed doctors
- How going independent can be a win-win for both patients and physicians
- And much more.

If you’ve ever felt like the system is working against you, this is the episode for you. Or, as Farzad put it, “It’s that discordance — that kind of moral conflict — that eats away at people.” 💬

Tell us: Do you agree that it’s time for more physician to go independent? Listen to the episode below and share your reaction by replying directly to this email (we read every message!) or adding your thoughts in the comments.

Listen to the full episode →

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

What question do you want me to ask How I Doctor physicians next?

I read every single message and your input will absolutely shape my next interviews and this newsletter. Click below to let me know. Talk soon!

Click here →

Most Talked About On Offcall

From Our Partners: Congrats to the XPC Games Winners!

Earlier this month, we were proud to sponsor the XPC Games’ Battle of the Prompts competition alongside Canvas Medical. Hosted by X=Primary Care and Dr. Paulius Mui, the hands-on competition explored how LLMs can reshape care delivery and brought together clinicians, engineers and operators (as well as a keynote address from Dr. Alex Dummett!). Now the winners have been announced, and we’re celebrating them here: Dr. Alexandra Ristow (learn more here), Dr. Aida Rutledge (more here), and Dr. Mark Molckovsky (more here). Well done to these great physicians!

5 Things to Read This Week

Incomplete Team Staffing, Burnout and Work Intentions (JAMA Network)
A look at how post-Covid staff shortages impact burnout, ft. Dr. Lisa Rotenstein, Purva Shah, and Dr. Tait Shanafelt.

AI Won’t Replace Doctors, It Will Upgrade Them (The Hill)
From Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld and Elad Walach: Why Bill Gates’ recent comments about AI and doctors are not just plain wrong, they’re reckless. Read it here.

Empowering physicians through collective action (Annals of Internal Medicine)
The American College of Physicians’ recommendations on how physicians can improve their advocacy and practice responsible collective bargaining (featuring Dr. David Hilden, Dr. Jenny Silberger, and Ryan Crowley).

The Power of Physicians in Dangerous Times (NEJM)
Physicians speaking up and taking action can make a big difference against difficult odds. From Dr. Alice Chen and Dr. Vivek Murthy.

Is AI Documentation Driving Out the Chitchat? (NEJM)
Seasoned primary care physician Dr. Gordon Schiff reflects on all the problems with AI scribes filtering out MD-patient “chitchat.” Also see this great commentary about the article from Dr. Spencer Dorn.

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.

❗Calling all forward-thinking providers, Glenn Loomis
Dr. Glenn Loomis, founder of Query Health, is looking for beta testers for a new AI Agent for individual physicians as well as practices. Learn more and get in touch here!

✅ Strong work, Ally Abel
Dr. Ally Abel attended the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine conference in Salt Lake City and helped build a blueprint for how to advance primary care through technology and education. Learn more here.

👏 Well said, Graham Walker
Graham’s LinkedIn post about why you should care about Medicaid cuts went viral. Read it and weigh in here.

🎉 Congrats, Scott McCusker
Dr. Scott McCusker was recently asked to be the first on the west coast to implant the new inspire v implant. Read more here.

🙌 Bravo MD+ team!
The MD+ team published its first paper in JMIR Publications about why medical education paradigms need to adapt to reflect AI, led by Clara Sun, Steve Stephen, Emily Leventhal, Lawrence Huang, Lathan Liou & Michael Yao. Read more here.

👏Very well written, Craig Joseph
Dr. Craig Joseph’s essay about low-tech ways to actually reduce physician burnout is worth the read. Check it out here.

🎉 Congrats, Benjamin Schwartz
After 17 years as an Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr. Benjamin Schwartz is making the full transition to health tech. Celebrate his career milestone here!

📚 Great interview, Lipi Roy
Dr. Lipi Roy interviewed former NFL quarterback Alex Smith in Forbes about his story of resilience after suffering from necrotizing fasciitis. Read it here.

🚀 Big news, Melissa Sunderman
Dr. Melissa Sunderman is now the Medical Director of Lifestyle Medicine for Corewell Health. Join us in congratulating her here!

🎙️ Podcast listen of the week, Dutch Rojas
Why are doctors taking over venture capital? An excellent listen featuring Dr. Vipul Kella, Dr. Paul Slosar & Dutch Rojas. More here.

💬 Well said, Graham Walker!
ICYMI, Graham’s post about what OpenAI is actually trying to do with HealthBench is spot on! Check it out and join the comments here.

Be Sure to Sign Up for Offcall!

New to Offcall? We believe physicians deserve to be heard, valued, and treated fairly.

Everything we do is driven by our commitment to empowering doctors with accurate, reliable, and trustworthy data — to advocate confidently for themselves and ensure their compensation truly reflects their worth.

Here are 4 ways that physicians are using Offcall today to improve their careers and help generate more income!

Learn more and sign up here

Did Someone Share On/Offcall With You?

Thanks for reading. Each week, we bring the latest news, information, financial and career tips, and dose of inspiration to your inbox. Our community is growing fast! Join by subscribing below and please forward this newsletter to your colleagues and friends.

Subscribe