Redefining Rheumatology: Articularis Healthcare Group Supports the Success of Private Practices

Preserving physician autonomy while advancing care in community rheumatology

CHARLESTON, S.C., July 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As the national healthcare landscape continues to evolve and trend towards consolidation through private equity, insurance companies, and hospital ownership, Articularis Healthcare Group (AHG) stands at the forefront of preserving independent community-based rheumatology care. Mounting pressures continue to force many physicians to abandon private practice, but AHG offers an alternate path – one that protects a physician's autonomy, enhances patient care, and ensures long-term sustainability.

Recent data from the American Medical Association (AMA) show a sharp decline in physician-owned practices, now accounting for just 42.2% of all doctors, down from 60.1% in 2012. Meanwhile, hospital-owned practices have surged to 34.5%, and private equity ownership continues to grow. Physicians cite inadequate payment rates, rising operational costs, and overwhelming regulatory burdens as key drivers of this shift.  

Yet despite this recent trend, research consistently shows that independent practices – especially in specialties like rheumatology – deliver more personalized care, improved patient outcomes, and higher physician satisfaction. As the nation's leading rheumatology practice management organization, AHG supports community-based rheumatologists by delivering full-scale administrative expertise, allowing physicians to focus on what matters most: expert patient care.

"Our mission is to keep rheumatologists independent while helping them run more efficient, sustainable practices," said Robert Kirk, Articularis Healthcare Group CEO. "This isn't just about support – it's about safeguarding the future of personalized care, so patients continue to get the best outcomes, close to home."

AHG's ecosystem of support eliminates the burdens that often lead independent physicians to sell or burnout. The group's suite of services includes drug procurement and management, revenue optimization, financial services, strategic marketing, infusion suite management, clinical research, quality improvement, practice operations, human resources, laboratory services, and information technology.

"Articularis truly understands what independent physicians need to not only stay afloat, but to find meaning in our work again," said Colin Edgerton, M.D., founding physician partner at AHG and practicing rheumatologist at Low Country Rheumatology. "With the support of AHG, physicians can prioritize patient care and focus on practicing medicine the way it was meant to be."

As the U.S. faces a projected 49% increase in arthritis diagnoses by 2045 and a simultaneous 25% decline in the rheumatology workforce, solutions like AHG are more essential than ever. Without meaningful intervention, the widening gap between patient need and provider availability threatens to severely limit access to specialized care. By supporting independent practices and keeping rheumatologists embedded in the communities they serve, AHG plays a critical role in maintaining access to high-quality, personalized care.

To learn more about AHG's physician-led approach to independent rheumatology care, visit www.articularishealthcare.com.

About Articularis Healthcare Group
Articularis Healthcare Group, Inc. (AHG) is the nation's leading rheumatology management services organization, dedicated to preserving and advancing community-based care. Founded in 2015, AHG provides private practice rheumatologists with administrative expertise, industry relationships, innovative technology, and economies of scale that allow their practices to thrive while ensuring exceptional patient care. AHG's management expertise encompasses all phases of practice operations, including drug procurement and management, revenue optimization, financial services, marketing and public relations, infusion suite management, clinical research, quality improvement and assurance, practice operations, human resources, laboratory services, and information technology. AHG's network includes 18 practices across nine states. Learn more at www.articularishealthcare.com  

SOURCE Articularis Healthcare Group