Going Direct Conversations

#24 Alex Barrett: The Canadian Going After Corporate Health Care In the US


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Jordan sits down with Alex Barrett, founder of Meroka, a company on a mission to rebuild independent medical care in the U.S. They are focused on helping independent medical practices stay independent by transitioning ownership to existing employees and building an entire tech stack to help them run the practices. No more private equity rollups or corporate burnout for physicians.

If you care about decentralization of our healthcare system and keeping local businesses in the hands of the community, this one’s for you. Enjoy.


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Links to Alex's Work:

  • Meroka – https://meroka.com
  • Follow Alex on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-barrett/
  • Contact: [email protected]


Key Influences and Resources Mentioned:

  • Physicians Advocacy Institute Report/Avelere Report on physician employment & consolidation - https://www.physiciansadvocacyinstitute.org/PAI-Research/PAI-Avalere-Study-on-Physician-Employment-Practice-Ownership-Trends-2019-2023
  • Yoni Rechtman’s private practice investment thesis at Slow Ventures - https://99d.substack.com/p/our-private-practice-thesis
  • Shopify as a model for decentralization - https://www.shopify.com/


Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

00:42 Consolidation Of The Healthcare Industry In The US

02:43 Who Actually Owns Medical Practices?

04:33 Dirty Secret Of Flat Reimbursement Rates

06:07 Different Ownership Models Of US Medical Practices

10:33 Administrative Burdens On Independent Practices

16:14 Transitioning Ownership In Medical Practices

23:41 Introducing Meroka

30:02 Meroka Vision And Business Model

31:45 What’s It Like To Work With Meroka

33:23 Private Equity In Healthcare

37:08 Funding And Liquidity For Independent Practices

39:03 Building A Technology Backbone For Independent Practices

45:00 US vs. Canadian Healthcare

46:50 Why Alex Is Doing This Work

49:36 Rapid Fire: Trends, Myths & Mentors


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