By Diwakar Sinha, CEO, Polaris Healthcare Partners 

Many surgeons and practice principals are asking the same questions right now: Where is the market headed? How does my business line up with where things are going? What do I need to change or protect to stay relevant and valuable?

These aren’t theoretical questions. They’re coming from a place of experience, uncertainty, and ambition. The market is shifting, and the old solo-provider model is starting to show its limits.

What Most Practices Miss

Plastic Surgery and Dermatology practices often start with one provider, one brand, and one way of doing things. That works until growth becomes a priority. Then the cracks show.

The business becomes overly dependent on one person. There’s no clear path for younger providers. Operational complexity increases, but systems don’t evolve. And when it’s time to sell, scale, or step back, the options are limited.

What Needs to Change

The practices that are thriving have started asking different questions:

  • Why are we building this practice? Is it a lifestyle business, a legacy, or a scalable platform?
  • How do we grow without diluting quality? What systems, culture, and leadership do we need?
  • When is the right time to add providers, expand services, or invest in infrastructure?

These questions shape everything from hiring decisions to patient experience to long-term value.

The Role of Surgery Centers

Surgery centers are no longer just a convenience they’re a strategic asset. They offer:

  • Control over scheduling and patient experience
  • Better margins compared to hospital-based procedures
  • A platform for multi-provider utilization

But they also require scale. A solo surgeon can’t fully leverage a surgery center’s capacity. Multi-provider practices, on the other hand, can turn a surgery center into a growth engine.

If you’re building or affiliating with a surgery center, the question isn’t just “Can I fill it?” it’s “Can we build a team that fills it consistently and profitably?”

Affiliations and Market Positioning

Affiliating with other surgeons or practices in your market isn’t a threat, it’s an opportunity. Strategic affiliations can:

  • Expand referral networks
  • Create shared infrastructure (marketing, HR, tech)
  • Open doors to joint ventures or co-branded initiatives

The key is alignment. Affiliations work when there’s shared vision, complementary skill sets, and mutual respect. They fail when egos or short-term thinking get in the way.

Read my article: The Rise of Provide-Led Consolidation: A Human-Centered Guide for Mid-Sized DSOs/MSOs. 

Developing Other Surgeons

This is the unlock.

If your practice is built entirely around you, it’s capped. If you’re developing other surgeons mentoring them, giving them room to grow, creating pathways to partnership you’re building something that lasts.

Younger surgeons don’t just want a job. They want a future. If you can offer that, you’ll attract top talent, increase retention, and build a business that’s bigger than any one person.

What Plastic Surgery Practices Should Be Thinking About

  • Is the brand bigger than the surgeon? If not, how do we start shifting that?
  • Are we offering enough non-surgical services to balance revenue and attract repeat visits?
  • Do we have a path for younger surgeons to grow here, or will they leave to build their own?
  • Are we leveraging our surgery center to its full potential or is it underutilized?

What Dermatology Practices Should Be Thinking About

  • Are we balancing medical and cosmetic services in a way that supports both margin and mission?
  • Is our care model scalable across multiple providers and locations?
  • Are we using technology to improve efficiency or just to keep up?
  • Are we building affiliations that strengthen our market position or operating in isolation?

What’s at Stake

The market is consolidating. Private equity is active. Patients are more informed. Providers are more mobile. If you’re not building with scale and value in mind, you’re building something that may not last.

The practices that will win are the ones that start early before they’re forced to react. Before they hire the wrong person. Before they invest in the wrong system. Before they lock in decisions that limit their future.

Final Thought

This is not the time to wait and see. The market is moving fast. Consolidation is accelerating, younger providers are reshaping expectations, and patients are choosing practices that feel modern, scalable, and built for longevity.

If your business is still centered around one provider, one brand, or one way of doing things, you’re already behind. The practices that will lead the next chapter are the ones building teams, systems, and platforms not just reputations.

You don’t need to have all the answers today. But you do need to start asking questions and making the right moves.

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