Independent physician network platform
Acquisition Strategy Build
Strategic plan and an M&A evaluation framework the deal team now runs every inorganic-growth decision through. The board authorized diligence spend on the first target it qualified, one that would double the provider network.
THE SITUATION
The platform had growth ambitions, committed capital, and an acquisition opportunity that could accelerate the thesis by years. But there was no framework for evaluating whether to acquire or build, no criteria for assessing whether a specific target advanced the strategy, and no structure for making the case to the board. The platform needed a strategic plan before it could evaluate the deal, and an evaluation framework before the board would authorize diligence spend.
WHAT I BUILT
• Strategic plan: three priorities defining where the platform would focus, each with measurable performance objectives aligned to the payer partner’s expectations. The framework became the platform’s operating language for evaluating every initiative and investment.
• Solution design: three-tier affiliation model matching physicians to pathways based on their circumstances and willingness to change, from lightweight network participation through administrative support services to full employment and continuity
• M&A evaluation framework: criteria anchored to the three strategic priorities, with explicit logic for when to acquire capability versus build it. Assessment covered provider footprint, operating infrastructure, value-based care readiness, technology standardization, and payer relationship transferability.
• Acquisition business case: quantified how a specific target accelerated all three priorities simultaneously. The target added approximately 100 providers across 50+ locations, closed critical capability gaps the platform would take years to build, and created approximately $20M in savings through site-of-service shifts.
THE RESULT
• The deal team now runs every inorganic-growth decision through the evaluation framework and acquisition-case methodology built here, the platform’s standing template
• Milestone: the board authorized diligence spend on the business case, and the platform moved from strategic deliberation into active deal execution
The team made the three-priority strategic framework the platform’s operating language. They engage physicians through the solution design and affiliation model. They run every future inorganic-growth decision on the M&A evaluation criteria and acquisition-case methodology, now the platform’s standing template.
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