In late August, ACEP hosted its first-ever Independent EM Group Master Class, known as the Indy Class. This course convened experts from across the country to instruct on the ins and outs of successful small group management, offering attendees the opportunity to learn more business administration while getting firsthand advice on how to face the challenges of running an independent practice group.

Organized by course co-directors Lisa Maurer, MD, FACEP, and Jamie Shoemaker, MD, FACEP, the Indy Class is one of the various ways ACEP is executing its new strategic plan, ensuring emergency physicians feel supported. A key facet of the plan’s Advocacy pillar is to provide members with more opportunities to learn about the business of emergency medicine. At the same time, the Career Fulfillment pillar is focused on tackling tough issues that lessen job satisfaction. For many emergency physicians, the growing consolidation in medicine and the lack of physician autonomy is a source of frustration. This course was created to pull back the curtain on independent group management and teach the business of emergency medicine in order to offer a viable option for those who are looking for a career outside the large group staffing models.

Like many great ideas, this one started with a few thoughts written on the back of a napkin. Drs. Shoemaker and Maurer realized ACEP did not have many practical resources to offer its members with ambitions of starting their own groups or strengthening their existing independent groups. The ideas scratched on that napkin grew into the foundation of the Indy Class schedule.

For young physicians Andrew Langille, DO, and Jonathan Ford, MD, FACEP, winners of this year’s Indy Class scholarships, the opportunity to learn from those with extensive experience managing small groups was too good to pass up.

Dr. Ford is one of the partners of a growing independent group in West Texas who wanted to learn more about managing a business. When he heard about the new Indy Class, the curriculum was just what he needed to become a more knowledgeable partner who could help his group grow during these turbulent times.

Dr. Langille is a senior resident in Tennessee who trained with a small democratic group. That experience was so positive that it inspired him to work toward starting his own independent group. For him, the Indy Class scholarship was a chance to gain necessary business skills needed to start a group while gaining access to the resources needed to work toward his goals.

The Indy Class sessions were comprehensive, covering as much as possible in a few short days: how to start an independent group, potential pitfalls, budgets and projections, payment models, vendor management, hospital and employee contracts, staffing, retention, payer trends, and more. The course was a mix of 30-minute lectures and breakout discussions, allowing all attendees to network, interact, and ask specific questions to the faculty and other experts at the conference. Drs. Langille and Ford were treated to a veritable firehose of valuable information, and they did their best to soak it all up.

“These are things that had always been nebulous concepts to me,” said Dr. Ford. “And now I’m really starting to take some concrete features about what I need to do for my group to help us prepare to use these lessons.”

“I’ve learned there is a lot that I need to learn,” joked Dr. Langille. “[I learned] about the nuances of starting your group and things you need to think about in terms of billing and coding. There’s a huge change coming in January 2023 and [we’re learning] what that’s going to look like.”

“Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know,” Dr. Shoemaker agreed. “Even us, as faculty for the conference—we were listening to the sessions. I was learning new things as well.”

Drs. Shoemaker and Maurer wanted to offer Indy Class scholarships for young physicians because they had benefitted so much from ACEP educational experiences when they were just starting out. As a result, both have gone on to become reimbursement experts for the College and they wanted to pay it forward to the next generation.

Drs. Ford and Langille are both eager to take on leadership roles within their perspective communities. They wanted to attend the course so they could learn firsthand and then go back and share the helpful information with their colleagues.

Like most residents, Dr. Langille is concerned about the future of the EM workforce. He viewed the Indy Class content through that lens, absorbing lessons he could take back to share with his fellow residents.

“I’m so glad ACEP is doing this because we need to have more young physicians in the know about small but democratic groups and how to run those effectively,” Dr. Langille said. “Emergency medicine has been largely changed by our predecessors and it’s going to continue to shape and change. I want to make sure that I’m at the forefront of that. I think ACEP is actually cultivating that by having young physicians come in and get exposure to [the Indy Class], especially residents like myself.”

Dr. Ford views being part of a small group as a lifestyle decision. He wants to learn everything he can about managing an independent group so he can help his group succeed and preserve his way of life for many years to come.

“I really believe in the small group,” said Dr. Ford. “When I’m happy at my job and I feel fulfilled at my job and I feel like I have some control over my job, I feel like I’m better at all those things in life. So not only is it helping me personally, but it’s helping the lives I touch and the ones I see every day, like my family and the thousands of patients I take care of every year.”

Jordan Grantham is senior content manager at ACEP.