125. How Physicians Can Stay Independent In Modern Healthcare

In this episode of Life of Flow, we sit down with Dr. Eric Smuclovisky, M.D., an interventional radiologist in Indianapolis, Indiana, affiliated with Elkhart General Hospital. Eric joins us for a direct conversation about physician independence, why the old private practice model became harder to sustain, what changed for OBLs, and how independent physicians can think about hospital service agreements without becoming hospital employees. 04:30 What changed when OBL revenue took a hit 07:56 How physician fees shaped the old private practice model 13:04 Why hospital privileges once gave physicians more control 15:40 The history behind physician lounges and hospital incentives 31:28 Why physicians need to understand how the money moves 40:17 Why OBLs may still matter, even as the model gets harder 43:39 Why RVUs keep physicians disconnected from real revenue 46:01 Charge lists, commercial payers, and understanding what hospitals bill 56:28 Selling a service line to a hospital and negotiating a fixed rate Who Should Listen This episode is for vascular surgeons, interventional radiologists, cardiologists, independent physicians, and early career physicians who want to understand the business side of medicine. It is especially relevant for anyone thinking about OBLs, hospital relationships, service agreements, or how to maintain more autonomy without working fully outside the system. About Dr. Eric Smuclovisky, M.D. Dr. Eric Smuclovisky is an interventional radiology doctor in Indianapolis, Indiana and is affiliated with Elkhart General Hospital. He received his medical degree from Ponce Health Sciences University and has been in practice between 11 and 20 years. In the episode, Eric shares that he started out in academics, later left, opened an OBL and ASC with a partner, and now works through a professional service agreement with a hospital alongside his partner Brian. Connect with Dr. Smuclovisky 💼 LinkedIn: Eric Smuclovisky About Locumstory Locumstory is a free, unbiased educational resource about locum tenens to answer your questions about the how-tos of locums on their website, podcast, webinars, videos, and a locums 101 crash course. Visit locumstory.com to find out if locum tenens makes sense for you and your career goals. Follow Life of Flow 📲 Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@LifeofFlowPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 👍 Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Life of Flow Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 💼 LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Life of Flow Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🐦 X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@VascularPodcast If this conversation changed how you think about physician independence, hospital service agreements, and what it takes to build leverage without becoming employed by the system, share it with a colleague who’s thinking about the business side of medicine. And if you’re enjoying Life of Flow, a quick review helps more physicians and healthcare leaders find conversations like this.