Imagine dealing with a difficult challenge at work and thinking to yourself, “I sure wish my boss could see what I’m dealing with right now.”
At ApolloMD, that wish is an everyday reality because of the company’s structure as an employee-owned enterprise.
Employee ownership is both a corporate reality and an everyday philosophy that sets ApolloMD apart from other group practices that provide specialty services and employees to partner hospitals, medical centers, and other health care settings.
“When company leaders are actually in the trenches, on the front lines of health care, they know what we’re experiencing,” says Noelle Griffin, PA, who has worked as an ApolloMD physician assistant in Wadesboro, NC, for three years.
“When you come to leadership with something as simple as ‘this workflow isn’t working for me’ or ‘this software isn’t functional,’ they understand where you’re coming from and have solutions that are based in real experience.”
“You’re only as good as your people”
ApolloMD executives, current employee owners, and employees who anticipate becoming owners as soon as they’re eligible agree that the company’s ownership structure enhances employee satisfaction, retention, and recruitment.
Michael Lipscomb, MD, Chief Quality Officer and Regional President
Ownership is managed through ApolloMD Partners, Inc. Once they become eligible to sign on as a company owner, employees receive a percentage-based rate of return each year.
Company growth is by expansion only, not through mergers or acquisitions.
“Great sense of buy-in”
Anna Huneycutt, PA-C, an 11-year employee who works in a hospital emergency department in Monroe, NC, says employee ownership delivers great value and supports a “great sense of buy-in.”
Anna Huneycutt, PA-C at the ApolloMD Leadership Conference 2023
“It’s definitely a perk built around the company supporting me as an employee and me supporting the company by allowing me to buy into it financially,” says the physician assistant. “The company’s record of growth certainly played into my decision to become an employee-owner as soon as I was eligible.”
“I have a lot of faith in the leadership and corporate decision-making at ApolloMD. I don’t make corporate decisions but based on what I’ve experienced as a PA on the ground, I also have a lot of faith in the company’s continued growth,” she adds. “I know that as employee owners, we are part of that growth process.”
Ownership also plays a role in employee recruitment and retention, she points out.
“It’s a unique perk that no other EM provider group offers in this area, and it’s something that I advertise to candidates during the interview process,” Huneycutt explains. “It’s also a great piece of the puzzle that helps with employee retention.”
Jen Goldbach, PA-C, ApolloMD’s Vice President Advanced Practice and National Director of its Advancement Program, describes ownership possibility as “a huge differentiator.”
“It’s unique that we are physician- and APC-owned,” she says. “We know what it is like to be in the trenches alongside of our colleagues. If there is a need, responsiveness is a major hallmark of our company along with having the best leadership in the industry.”
Griffin agrees, and says she’ll consider ownership as soon as she becomes eligible.
“I don’t ever see myself leaving ApolloMD,” she says. “It is such a great company. I love how supported I am. The leadership teams really care about us. I could definitely see myself becoming an owner.”
Jen Goldbach, PA-C, ApolloMD’s Vice President Advanced Practice and National Director of its Advancement Program
