PAC & Forth Episode 17:
Dr. Barbara Hrach
What happens when independent physicians stand together?
In this episode of PAC & Forth, we sit down with Dr. Barbara Hrach, an internal medicine physician who has practiced in Santa Barbara for three decades. She is president of Santa Barbara Preferred Health Partners, a group of local independent physicians. In that role, she’s helping her colleagues push back against health care consolidation and protect patient choice in their community.
Dr. Hrach shares:
How Santa Barbara went from two major hospital systems and many independent practices to a market run by a few large players.
Why regulations, coding and billing changes, and insurance hurdles are pushing physicians out of independent practice, not just big systems.
How Santa Barbara Preferred Health Partners formed in response to a proposed consolidation, and how speaking with one voice helped stop it.
What “herding cats” teaches about organizing independent physicians, and why there is power in numbers.
Why medical students are asking about independent practice, and how family practices and local networks bring young physicians back to Santa Barbara.
How putting herself in her patients’ shoes shaped a practice built on prevention, long-term relationships, and a familiar face at the front desk.
A look at how local physicians are organizing to protect independent practice and the patients who depend on it.
If you’re interested in what physicians can do when they come together in their own communities, this is a must-listen.
Tune in to hear why Dr. Hrach believes choice matters for patients.
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