For Physicians

Across America, the patient physician bond is under siege. Independent practices are vanishing. Reimbursements fall further behind the cost of living while regulations multiply. Physicians are being asked to do more with less: less time, less ownership, and less voice in how care is delivered.

The numbers tell the story. According to the American Medical Association, Medicare physician payment has declined 29% in real terms since 2001 when adjusted for practice cost inflation. The Medicare Conversion Factor, the dollar amount used to calculate physician reimbursement, was $31.00 in 1992. In 2025, it is $32.36. If it had simply kept pace with inflation, it would be more than $70.00 today. Year after year, physicians are effectively paid less for the same work, even as the costs of staff, technology, compliance, and malpractice insurance continue to rise.

Meanwhile hospitals benefit from site of service advantages and steady CMS increases. Private equity firms acquire practices at distressed values. Insurers delay or deny payment. The result is a profession where independent physicians, the ones actually delivering care, are systematically devalued. This contributes directly to burnout. AMA surveys show physicians now spend more than 15 hours each week on prior authorizations, and nearly 60% report symptoms of emotional exhaustion.

Selkirk Center exists as the alternative. This is not a narrow surgery center. It is a physician led hospital anchored in primary care, designed to restore independence and revolutionize how women and families receive care. Here physicians are not just employees. They are owners who hold equity, shape the model of care, and regain control of the downstream elements of medicine that corporate structures have captured: hospital access, surgical platforms, reimbursement flow, and governance.

Evidence shows that when physicians lead, outcomes improve and costs fall. A Johns Hopkins study found that physician led hospitals deliver 18% lower outpatient costs compared to large system hospitals while achieving higher quality. Another analysis reported that physician led hospitals earn nearly seven times higher patient experience ratings than their competitors. The Physician Led Healthcare for America economic impact report further shows that these facilities strengthen local economies while delivering more affordable care.

Selkirk offers a way forward. A place to reclaim influence, align financial reality with clinical work, and restore the patient physician relationship.