Episode
Saving Healthcare: How Meroka Is Empowering Doctors To Stay Independent
- Published
- Feb 12, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1746
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Summary
Why is U.S. healthcare so broken? If you're not sure why it’s so expensive or dysfunctional, this week’s podcast may illuminate the answers for you. I sat down with Alex Barrett, Cofounder & CEO of Meroka, who's tackling one of the root problems: Consolidation that strips doctors of autonomy Misaligned incentives across the system Outdated models that sacrifice care for throughput 70% of doctors now work for big systems but Alex is charting a new path by giving independent practices scale, liquidity, and ownership without the need to sell out. Special thanks to Alex for joining the pod - this is one of the smartest takes I’ve heard on how to fix healthcare from the inside. ⏱️ Chapter Markers 00:00 – Welcome & Guest Intro 01:20 – What is Meroka? 03:30 – Why Independence Matters in Healthcare 05:30 – The Trade-Off Between Scale & Patient Experience 07:20 – Breaking Down Reimbursement Rates 10:30 – Why Scale Has Meant Consolidation—Until Now 14:50 – How Independent Practices Survive 17:00 – The Myth That Doctors Are Bad at Business 20:30 – Meroka’s Employee Ownership Model 23:50 – Comparing to Private Equity Models 26:00 – The Future of Healthcare as a Real Market 28:30 – Final Thoughts & Gratitude Links: Alex Barrett: LinkedIn Meroka: Website , LinkedIn Interplay: Website , LinkedIn , Twitter MPD: LinkedIn , Twitter