Anjana D. Patel, Member of the Firm in the Health Care & Life Sciences practice, in firm’s the Newark office, was quoted in The Philadelphia Inquirer, in “Philly Start-Up MedCoShare Aims to Create the City’s First Coworking Space for Medical Practices,” by Sophie Burkholder.
Following is an excerpt:
Fewer physicians than ever before own private practices. But new local start-up MedCoShare is hoping to reverse that trend and capitalize on it.
MedCoShare, which officially opened on July 1, brands itself as a coworking space for outpatient medical offices. And like other coworking businesses, it’s based on the idea of shared space and resources.
Physicians and medical providers can book time for patient appointments at the Fishtown location as needed, and have access to such common equipment as EKG machines, blood pressure cuffs, and exam tables. The booking fee also includes cleaning services and disposal for syringes and biohazards. Membership plans, which vary from levels of part-time to full-time booking, range from $390 to $2,500 a month. …
Anjana Patel, a health-care lawyer with Epstein Becker Green, thinks the pandemic could accelerate the exodus of doctors from private practice. With widespread economic turmoil, independent physicians might feel more pressure to sell their practice to a hospital, she argued. “I’m seeing a lot of inquiries from physicians right now, saying, ‘Hey, I think we’d like to explore a strategic partnership because I don’t think we can survive the next level of this,’” she said.
Despite those pressures, Patel thinks there still might be demand from patients for a service such as MedCoShare. “A lot of people want to avoid the hospital at all costs,” she noted, and gaps in telemedicine could require in-person appointments.
