5 Costly Mistakes Medical Practice Owners Need to Stop Making

Let me guess.

Your P&L says the practice is fine, but you feel stretched thin.
Staff keep leaving. Prior authorizations eat your day. Payments take forever to show up. And every time someone mentions “change,” your first thought is: When would I even have time for that?

You’re not failing.
You’re stuck in patterns that quietly drain your time, money, and love for medicine.

The hard truth? These aren’t new problems. They’re familiar problems most practice owners normalize because they feel unavoidable.

After working with many medical practice owners, from solo family practices to multi-physician specialty groups, we see the same five mistakes show up again and again. The practices that survive Medicare cuts, staffing shortages, and administrative overload aren’t the biggest or best funded. They’re the ones that recognize bad habits early and fix them before the damage compounds.

Let’s talk about the five mistakes costing you the most and what to do instead.

Mistake #1: Treating Staffing Like a Hiring Problem (When It’s Really a Retention Problem)

If you feel like you’re always hiring, this one’s for you.

You can’t hire your way out of a retention problem.

Yes, finding qualified staff is hard. But even when you finally land a great MA or biller, another employer is ready to offer slightly better pay or flexibility. Every time someone leaves, it costs you $3,000–$5,000 in recruiting alone before you factor in lost productivity and morale.

What actually works instead:

Cross-train your team so no one feels trapped or overwhelmed
Respect boundaries. Vacation means vacation, not “just one quick text.”
Create growth paths that don’t require becoming a manager
Track turnover patterns (losing MAs at six months isn’t random—it’s fixable)

Every dollar you invest in retention saves approximately three dollars in replacement costs. More importantly, it saves your sanity.

Mistake #2: Underestimating the Prior Authorization Crisis

Here’s a number that should make you pause: 13 hours a week.

That’s how much time the average physician spends on prior authorizations, not caring for patients, not growing the practice, just battling insurers.

The fallout is real:

93% of physicians say PAs delay patient care
89% say they drive burnout
80% say patients end up paying out of pocket because of delays

What helps:

Assign dedicated staff to become PA experts
Track which payers deny the most and strengthen submissions upfront
Use electronic prior authorization tools
Join advocacy efforts pushing for reform

This isn’t just administrative pain—it’s clinical risk and financial loss.

Mistake #3: Believing “A Cyberattack Won’t Happen to Us”

If you’ve ever thought, We’re too small to be a target, you’re exactly who attackers go after.

In 2024, healthcare breaches hit record highs. 93% of healthcare organizations experienced at least one cyberattack, averaging 43 incidents per practice. This isn’t just stolen data it’s locked charts, delayed surgeries, and disrupted care.

Phishing attacks alone cost healthcare organizations nearly $10 million per incident.

Your survival checklist:

Multi-factor authentication everywhere—no exceptions
Ongoing staff training (not once a year)
Network segmentation to limit damage
A tested incident response plan (reviewed quarterly)
Careful vendor vetting, they’re often the weakest link

Only 6% of practices feel confident they could handle a cyber incident. Make sure you’re one of them.

Mistake #4: Chasing Patient Volume While Your Revenue Cycle Leaks Cash

A full schedule doesn’t matter if you’re not getting paid.

With Medicare reimbursement cuts and rising operating costs, inefficient revenue cycles quietly erase profits. Many practices lose money on visits without realizing it.

Common warning signs:

Charges captured days—or weeks—late
Denials no one reviews
Aging AR sitting untouched
No formal appeal process

How to stop the bleeding:

Track key metrics: days in AR, clean claim rate, denial rate by payer
Capture charges same-day or next-day
Appeal high-value denials within 30 days
Make it easy for patients to pay online or through plans
Consider RCM software or outsourcing if your team is stretched

Revenue cycle issues don’t fix themselves. They compound.

Mistake #5: Clinging to the 15-Minute Office Visit Model

Healthcare changed.
Patient expectations changed.
But many practices are still operating like it’s 2019.

If every interaction requires a long drive, a long wait, and a rushed visit, you’re making care harder than it needs to be while competitors make it easier.

What modern practices are doing differently:

Offering hybrid care (in-person, telehealth, secure messaging)
Using group visits or health coaches for routine care
Investing in online scheduling and clear communication
Partnering with other independent practices
Exploring value-based contracts when infrastructure allows

Convenience isn’t a luxury anymore—it’s a competitive advantage.

Three Mindset Shifts That Will Define Successful Practices in 2026

The practices that thrive share these shifts:

From volume to value
Efficiency and outcomes matter more than sheer patient numbers.

From firefighting to prevention
Preventing problems is always cheaper—and less exhausting—than reacting to crises.

From isolation to collaboration
You don’t have to do everything yourself. Use specialists so you can focus on clinical excellence.