2026 MGMA Summit Digital Conference

In this episode of the MGMA Insights Podcast, Sr. Editor and Host Daniel Williams chats with Jessica Minesinger, founder and CEO of Surgical Compensation and Consulting, about some of the most pressing challenges facing medical practice leaders in 2026. From physician shortages and recruitment hurdles to compensation transparency and organizational culture, Jessica shares actionable strategies to help practices attract and retain top talent while fostering trust and engagement.

If you’re a medical practice leader looking to start the year strong, this conversation is packed with insights you can put into practice today.

Key Takeaways
  • [02:19] Physician Shortage and Its Impact
    Why bridging the gap between physicians and employers is critical to addressing supply-and-demand challenges in healthcare. 
  • [07:07] Recruitment Roadblocks in 2026
    Common pitfalls in physician recruitment—such as over-reliance on guaranteed compensation—and how to avoid them. 
  • [12:39] Aligning Fit Beyond Compensation
    The importance of upfront conversations about work-life balance, leadership opportunities, and organizational culture to ensure long-term retention. 
  • [16:50] The Vulnerable Transition Period
    Why the shift from guaranteed salary to productivity-based models can lead to dissatisfaction—and how proactive planning can prevent it. 
  • [19:55] Communication is Culture
    How transparency and frequent dialogue about compensation strengthen trust and engagement within your organization.
  • [21:50] Back to Basics: Common Sense in Compensation
    Engaging with the "Golden Rule"—administrators should think about whether they'd be comfortable with the compensation package offered. 
  • [23:43] MGMA Data Trends for 2026
    Insights from MGMA’s latest research: patient encounters are up, RVUs are stagnant—what this means for compensation strategies. 

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What is 2026 MGMA Summit Digital Conference?

MGMA 2026 Summit Podcast Playlist
Explore the best of the MGMA 2026 Summit through this curated podcast playlist. Whether you're joining live or catching up on-demand, this audio collection brings you timely insights, expert-led sessions, and real conversations from our premier online event. The Summit isn’t just about content — it’s about connection. Hear how leaders across the industry are navigating challenges, innovating care, and building stronger practices. Plus, discover new ways to engage with peers and collaborate on what matters most in medical practice leadership.

Daniel Williams:

From the MGMA In Home Studios, welcome to the Insights Podcast. I'm Daniel Williams.

Jessica Minesinger:

And I would really say that the critical trait for entrepreneurs is that outside the box thinking and problem solving. Know, Apple had a fantastic tagline and that's think differently. And I think that's what you'll find is a key trait in entrepreneurs who think differently when it comes to the market and problem solving. And I think that's especially true in terms of healthcare today.

Daniel Williams:

That's Jessica Minesinger, founder and CEO of Surgical Compensation and Consulting, talking about having an entrepreneurial mindset when it comes to solving health care problems. We'll hear more from Jessica in just a moment, but first, a word from our sponsor. This episode is brought to you by the MGMA Emerald card, the premier card built specifically for medical practice owners. With 1.5% cash back, paid MGMA dues bonus, no impact on personal credit and vendor rebates, It's tailor made to medical practices. So what are you waiting for?

Daniel Williams:

Go to about.mgma. Cards to get started today. Now conditions apply and are subject to approval. Mercantile Financial Technologies is a financial technology company, not a bank. The MGMA credit cards are issued by Hatch Bank pursuant to a license from Mastercard.

Daniel Williams:

Review the cardholder agreement at about.mgma.cards/terms. Our guest today is Jessica Minesinger, founder and CEO of Surgical Compensation and Consulting and an MGMA consultant. Jessica works with physicians to navigate compensation opportunities. Utilizing data analytics, her mission is to empower physicians to negotiate successfully, ensure pay equality, and identify cultural fit. Jessica, thanks so much for joining us on the MGMA Consultants Corner Podcast.

Jessica Minesinger:

Thank you, Daniel. I'm really excited to be here and to talk with you today. You for the opportunity.

Daniel Williams:

Yeah, So good to have you on here. I know that you're a recent entry to, an addition to our consulting team at MGMA, so really excited to have you on that team. And first, I want to talk to you a little bit about some other things that you're involved with. So you're currently the president and CEO of Surgical Compensation and Consulting. Tell us a little bit about that organization, what the focus is there, where you guys are located.

Daniel Williams:

Just give us a little four eleven on surgical compensation and consulting.

Jessica Minesinger:

Sure, I'm always happy to talk about SCC. I'm a compensation consultant for physicians as well as small practices. While I've worked with many physicians of different specialties, I specialize in working with surgeons and small surgical groups. As a woman owned company, we're really focused and committed to ensuring pay equity for our clients. You know, it's still today physicians, female physicians earn about 2,000,000 less throughout their careers than their male counterparts.

Jessica Minesinger:

And for female surgeons, that's estimated to be 2,500,000. And that's just, that's unacceptable. So we're mission driven to remedy that disparity for our clients. And for goodness sakes, we have the data and the tools to do that. The MGMA data dive is an invaluable tool to address this.

Jessica Minesinger:

So that's a real passion of ours.

Daniel Williams:

That's great. Well, thank you for sharing that. Now continuing education is one of your other passions. I was going through your bio, your background information on LinkedIn. I see that you've got your CMPE.

Daniel Williams:

We love that. The BOK, you know, body of knowledge. That's awesome. You have something else called the CMOM. Maybe you can tell me a little bit more about that in a minute.

Daniel Williams:

And then you've all, you're also a fellow. You've got your FACMPE. That is truly a commitment to continuing education. Talk about that, that background on how that has helped you as a healthcare leader, and maybe give us a little background on CMOM. Maybe I should know that, but I wasn't familiar with that one.

Jessica Minesinger:

Sure. I mean, after twenty seven years in business, I just firmly believe that the key to ongoing success is continuing education. I mean, the learning process, it never stops. And if you observe successful leaders in any industry, they all share a desire to grow and learn and stay current. And that's true professionally and personally.

Jessica Minesinger:

So when I started in healthcare twelve years ago, my first certification was a CMOM, and that was a general certified, it's certification in medical office management. And that was a great first step, But what I found is as time went on, I needed more in-depth knowledge and expertise and resources. And I found that with MGMA.

Daniel Williams:

Okay. Just give us an idea then, because it is a true commitment to have that full time job, but then also be studying and adding on these different certifications. How do you find that balance between, what you're getting paid for on a daily basis versus making that stretch to earn additional educational credits, so to speak? Because some of our listeners may be going, I would love to do that, but I'm stretched to the limit already and I cannot even begin to do that. So how did you find that balance to be able to do both?

Jessica Minesinger:

It is absolutely a commitment, that is for sure, but the return on investment is there and I am living proof of that. You just cannot overstate the value of investing in credentialing, what that will do for you personally, professionally, that will help you solve the really difficult problems that you're gonna encounter in healthcare and practices in working with physicians and other providers. It's worth, it is a sacrifice, it is a time commitment, it is absolutely worth it. Value that education so highly and that continues to this day. I mean, that doesn't end and the continuing education opportunities through MGMA help keep you abreast of changes in this industry.

Jessica Minesinger:

I mean, it's a really challenging time in healthcare. So we're not alone. We're all together in this and you'll find that that sacrifice is absolutely worth it. And the return on investment is there.

Daniel Williams:

Thank you for sharing that. Now you have also been described as an entrepreneur at heart. Wanna I wanna get more background on that, but I also wanted to ask, when I was researching, I found that you even own a restaurant. So I wanna know how you have balanced owning a restaurant, going to school, running your own business. Are there more than one of you?

Daniel Williams:

How have you done this? And talk talk about being an entrepreneur in the healthcare field now that's helped you, but also please tell us about this restaurant. What's your signature dish? That's great.

Jessica Minesinger:

I've been an entrepreneur since I was a kid. I mean, I've just, I love business. I love creating businesses and you are correct. You've done your research. I'm the co owner of a event space called Pop Up.

Jessica Minesinger:

So we host restaurants, food trucks, small businesses, private events, and true to our tagline, it's a place where you can eat, party and shop. So over the last five years, I've developed that with my business partner, and it's just been such a rewarding project. It's been really successful here locally here in Ohio. And we've launched, I think the most rewarding part is that we've launched other small businesses through that platform. So, especially women owned businesses.

Jessica Minesinger:

So it's a great place to try out your menu, your product line, your services to the community and research the market and decide what's going to work for you before you invest in a brick and mortar spot. So really, we're an entrepreneurial launching pad. And it's been a fantastic experience. And it's just sort of a continuation of being an entrepreneur. I incorporated my first company as a senior in college, a real estate company.

Jessica Minesinger:

And so for twenty seven years, I've owned my own businesses, developed new businesses, and for the last twelve years, I've developed a healthcare consulting company. So I enjoy developing and growing small business, addressing market needs. And I would really say that the critical trait for entrepreneurs is that outside the box thinking and problem solving, you know, Apple had a fantastic tagline and that's think differently. And I think that's what you'll find is a key trait in entrepreneurs. We think differently when it comes to the market and problem solving.

Jessica Minesinger:

And I think that's especially true in terms of healthcare today. That is, if ever, you know, it was a time to think differently, it's to face the immense challenges in healthcare. Provider shortages, physician burnout and turnover, the cost of that on healthcare as a whole, shortages for providers in healthcare. If ever there was a time to take a more entrepreneurial approach to medicine, I think now's the time. So yeah, it's served me well and it's been a great, I've had a great career so far.

Daniel Williams:

That's a good way to look at it because there is a lot of the kind of thinking in healthcare, maybe too often where they just continue to do a process the way they've done it because that's the way they've always done it. And being able to think outside the box is is a really great way to look at that, a great mindset to have. And I have to follow-up. When you get invited to a holiday party, what's the signature dish? What do you bring every time?

Daniel Williams:

What's what's your go to?

Jessica Minesinger:

For me personally, what's my signature dish?

Daniel Williams:

Sure.

Jessica Minesinger:

I have a cheese bowl recipe. Yeah. I mean, you know, I probably rely less on my cooking skills than I do on my business skills. So I love to eat, but not great in the kitchen.

Daniel Williams:

Okay, no problem there. Is your business partner then the one that is responsible for the food prep or whatever?

Jessica Minesinger:

Yep, she's my business partner is very creative. I'm more of a numbers visionary person, and she's more of a creative person. And then we host all sorts of different restaurants and food trucks. And, you know, the whole goal really, it's a business incubator. And that's what's super rewarding about that project.

Jessica Minesinger:

So I'll maintain my position as the chief eater and business visionary and leaving the kitchen to others.

Daniel Williams:

That's a good role to have. So I wanna talk about something we mentioned earlier. You are a recent MGMA consultant. You've been added to our stable of consultants who have expertise across the board to help medical practices with their challenges, providing them with tools and resources. So give us a little background then, how did that relationship begin?

Jessica Minesinger:

I just, I could not be more excited, and I'm just really honored to be a part of the MGMA team. I've been a member since 2011. So in those eleven years, I earned my CMPE and FACMPE credentials. And I joined the MGMA during a particularly challenging negotiation that I was in with hospital administration on behalf of the surgery practice. As a consultant, I renegotiated numerous contracts for this practice.

Jessica Minesinger:

And, this was relatively early in my career. And it was very apparent that although I had some, medical background and training and a lot of business acumen that I needed. I wasn't able to negotiate with the data on a level playing field with the hospital without joining MGMA and having access to the resources that you offer. So that was the day, I remember it very clearly and very frustrated after that meeting, walked right back to my office and became a member of MGMA. And yes, I recently became an independent consultant with MGMA.

Jessica Minesinger:

Could not be more excited to bring my knowledge, my perspectives, my expertise in physician compensation and small practice management to MGMA clients. It's really an exciting time. I couldn't be happier about it.

Daniel Williams:

Oh, that's awesome. So for our listeners who are made up primarily of medical practice leaders, administrators, physicians, etcetera, give us an idea of what those relationships are like. When you go out to meet with a practice, do they already know what their pain points are? I mean, do they know what their challenges are? Are you helping them just diagnose the overall practice so they can then really find out what those pain points are and then move forward?

Daniel Williams:

Give us, and maybe it changes client to client, but I am curious about how that flows and what it looks like.

Jessica Minesinger:

You know, to answer the first part of that question, I so enjoy working with clients and developing those relationships. And that's really the why in what I do. That's just the most rewarding part, that human interaction. I have been in my own career, fortunate to have had great mentors, consultants in my own businesses and coaches throughout my career. And it truly takes a village to run a successful business practice, to have an enduring and successful career.

Jessica Minesinger:

It is my passion to bring that to my consulting with clients. And,

Jessica Minesinger:

you know, to answer the second part

Jessica Minesinger:

of your question, in my experience, practices or individual physicians that I'm working with, they do know their pain points and they feel it pretty acutely. I think though, in the day to day operation of running a practice or in the trenches of practicing medicine, you may sometimes feel overwhelmed and it's really easy to lose sight of your goals and your mission and why you went into that specialty to begin with. You can lose sight of that, you know, that 30,000 foot view, which is vital really to driving your practice, to driving your career, and to maintaining provider engagement and growth of that practice. So as a consultant and an MGMA consultant, we lend our professional perspectives and experience to address those pain points and really to move the practice or the individual physician that I'm working with with that 30,000 foot view, with long term goals in mind, and, you know, to really build a successful and profitable and positive working environment. You know, I think that's, again, where the entrepreneurial spirit comes in, that sense of problem solving, of finding opportunities in challenges, and understanding that long term it's about navigating your way through those challenges and opportunities, you know, to find the most rewarding practice environment, employment environment.

Jessica Minesinger:

And so although I think they know where the pain points are, sometimes we just bring that larger perspective above the day to day challenges you feel.

Daniel Williams:

Do you have a particular case study you could share with us of what that looks like in practice?

Jessica Minesinger:

I mean, I think the longest, consulting arrangement I had was ten years. I spent as the senior business advisor for a trauma acute care surgery practice and an orthopedic trauma practice at a level two trauma center. And this was a really, it was sort of an entrepreneurial practice in that it was private physician owned, but hospital based with multiple contracts and coverage agreements and medical directors and specialties. So it was very challenging and stimulating and just a really fascinating experience. I mean, I learned practice operations from every single perspective in that practice.

Jessica Minesinger:

So we profitably grew that practice. We recruited and retained physicians. We negotiated successfully with administration, navigated a lot of challenges and changes over ten years. And I think most rewarding on a personal level is that we developed and expanded lifesaving trauma programs and outreach. And because the business side of the practice was solid and stable and growing, these, you know, really talented physicians were able to focus on patient care and providing that outreach and education that was really lifesaving.

Jessica Minesinger:

This was in a practice located in Nebraska. So a lot of the outreach that they did was in rural communities. So it was just really rewarding that when the business side was solid and progressing, how that was contributing to, you know, bringing those resources to communities that might not have otherwise had it. So together, you know, we successfully provided excellence in trauma and pediatric and adult survival rates and patient outcomes. And it was just, it was one of the best experiences I ever had.

Jessica Minesinger:

It was just, I learned a tremendous amount. Grateful for MGMA.

Daniel Williams:

Well, good. When you're meeting with a practice like the one you had the ten year relationship with, do you have a single point of contact? Do you have a team that you meet with at the practice? What does that relationship look like?

Jessica Minesinger:

So in that particular instance, I had, the practice owner, that I reported to directly and worked with directly in terms of navigating the business end of that practice. But yeah, I mean, I worked with a lot of different physicians, nurse practitioners, PAs, trauma coordinators. So there were a lot of moving pieces to that consulting arrangement and yeah, and it was great, but you certainly heard it. You know, I think that's being there long term gave me my perspective on the pressures on physicians, the pressures on hospital administration, on advanced practice providers. There's a tremendous push and pull in this system to provide excellence in patient care and for practices to be profitable for the hospital to meet their budget needs and finding a way to mediate those and meet everyone's needs and bridge that gap was challenging.

Jessica Minesinger:

And I just absolutely loved being able to bring both of those parties together in a successful way.

Daniel Williams:

Okay, well, like a ten year relationship like that, how often are you there on-site versus, I guess, Zoom type calls or whatever? What's the balance there?

Jessica Minesinger:

Yeah, so I was working remotely before that was a common practice with COVID. So I was, traveling there every three weeks and sometimes more if necessary on-site and, working back and forth with, physicians, able to monitor everything from, our headquarters in Ohio. And it just worked. I mean, it was never meant to be ten years. It just, it was meant to be a few months and it just really clicked and grew into a fantastic opportunity.

Daniel Williams:

Okay, you were talking earlier about some areas of of expertise, phys comp being one of those. Do you have examples of the KPIs that you're looking at? Maybe you can use this particular practice as an example, or how are you guiding them through to show what the advancement is? Like if what these tools or resources you're implementing there, these processes, if they're working, not working, how do you measure these things and what are the KPIs you're most interested in?

Jessica Minesinger:

I mean, I think in terms of the business side of it, you know, we were able to identify the key practice indicators and monitor them. We, in that case, had a third party billing company that was fantastic to work with. So our, accounts receivable were, they were just a tremendous part of our team and highly motivated. So, I think in terms of the key practice, the other challenging part of that is presenting physicians in your practice with the information that they need while not overwhelming them. And also having the data available to address concerns that come up.

Jessica Minesinger:

I mean, I had a physician that I worked with in that practice that was very aggressive in trying to increase his compensation. And that was a constant push and pull with him, constantly wanting to renegotiate his contract and earn more. And, you know, the MGMA data was so fantastic in making the case to, the primary practice owner who was a physician and to this physician of, you know, where he fell in terms of compensation, where his productivity fell in terms of compensation. So, you know, every practice is different and every, the challenges that that practice faces in terms of billing and collections is different. And, you know, in some ways those, the KPIs are easier to identify and diagnose and find solutions to.

Jessica Minesinger:

I mean, we have a lot of data and tools and formulas to address those and they're logical. So those can be easier. And I think right now, some of what is more challenging to diagnose and solve, but really probably the part I enjoy most is the human factor in practices and in hospitals. I mean, combating physician and staff burnout, coming out of COVID that has been greatly exacerbated. Employing strategies to retain employees, to reduce costly turnover, finding long term and strategic ways to address labor shortages, working with practices and physicians to remain engaged.

Jessica Minesinger:

You know, I think these are, in terms of keeping practices going, if you want to be, if you wanna offer the best patient care, the best patient experience and outcomes to be the most productive practice you can be, it really starts with your people and addressing, these issues, making sure that your physicians are engaged and retaining them so that your practice isn't disrupted with the cost of turnover. So, you know, when you meet with a practice or you meet with a individual physician that's struggling, you know, I think the data piece and the financial piece are easier to deal with in many ways than the human aspect of really what's going on in healthcare and the toll that that's taking on the healthcare industry and how that affects patient care and outcomes and physician availability. So that's, you know, the human aspect of medicine is I think something we all really need to focus on.

Daniel Williams:

Agreed, we can have a whole another podcast conversation on that human side of this. So Jessica, I want to welcome you again as an MGMA consultant. We are greatly benefited by your expertise on the team. And I want to thank you again for joining us on Consultants Corner. So thank you so much.

Jessica Minesinger:

Thank you so much for having me. It's really been a pleasure to talk to you today.

Daniel Williams:

Well, that's gonna do it for this episode of Insights. Thanks to our guest, Jessica Minesinger, founder and CEO of Surgical Compensation and Consulting. Jessica is also an MGMA consultant. To learn more about MGMA's medical practice consulting services, go to mgma.com/consulting. Also, to MGMA Emerald card for sponsoring this week's show.

Daniel Williams:

The Emerald card is the premier card built specifically for medical practice owners. With 1.5% cash back, paid MGMA dues bonus, no impact on personal credit and vendor rebates, the Emerald card is tailor made to medical practices. Go to about.mgma.cards to get started today. If you like the show, please rate and review it wherever you get your podcast. And to access all of our podcast, go to mgma.com/listen.

Daniel Williams:

If you wanna add to the conversation or suggest experts for us to interview, email us at podcast@MGMA.com, or you can find me on Twitter at MGMA Daniel. Stay safe, and thanks for listening.

Jessica Minesinger:

Hi. This is Declan McGee, one of the producers for the MGMA Insights podcast. If you like the work we're doing, please consider becoming an MGMA member. Learn more at mgma.com/membership. Thanks.