MEC Practice Academy 11.19
News|Videos|November 9, 2026

Why every practice needs a deliberate growth strategy

Fact checked by: Todd Shryock

Every practice needs a deliberate growth strategy to survive. Gone are the days of referring on excellent care and physician referrals alone. If you want to grow, you need to be deliberate about how you approach all aspects of your practice.

Every physician practice needs a deliberate growth strategy rather than leaving growth and reputation to chance.

Patient behavior is shifting fast. Patients no longer rely only on referrals, personal recommendations or traditional search results.Did you know that 47% of surveyed patients used AI to research health care providers this year, up 31% from last year? Because AI tools draw on practice websites, physician profiles, directories and reviews, practices that don’t manage that information risk being misrepresented or left out of AI search results.

Clinical excellence alone is no longer enough. Most practices describe themselves with the same words, such as compassionate, personalized and patient-centered, and their websites look alike. A growth strategy should connect clinical strengths to a clear market position.

Don’t rely on leaning on a few referral sources, since retirements, consolidation and shifting health system affiliations can change patterns. Even referred patients often check a practice online before booking.

A proactive strategy lets leaders decide which patients, services and referral relationships to prioritize and respond to market changes before they become serious problems.


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