Switching PC owner providers: how to move to your own physician-owned PC

Direct answer

Teams usually switch for one of three reasons: an investor or buyer wants a PC dedicated to the company, the shared PC does not cover a new state, or the vendor's fee or terms no longer fit. Whatever the reason, CPOM still applies on every day of the move, so check each patient state on the CPOM 50-state guide. General information only, not legal advice. Foundry is not a law firm.

Start with what you signed

Pull your current management, PC services, or platform agreement and answer these before you tell anyone you are leaving:

• How much notice does termination require, and is any fee due on exit?
• Who owns the patient records, and who is the records custodian after termination?
• Do non-solicitation terms cover the clinicians who treat your patients?
• Who holds the payer contracts, the PC's tax ID, the phone numbers, and the domain names your patients use?
• Does the vendor owe you transition help, and for how long?

Those answers set the timeline. If the old agreement lets the vendor keep the records or the payer contracts, plan the move around that before you sign anything new.

What moves, and what breaks if you skip it

The switch in order

1. Read the exit terms and set a target cutover date that respects the notice period.
2. Match a physician licensed in your patient states to own the new PC ($3,000/mo). Wide footprints can use a 50-state licensed physician.
3. Form the new PC and your MSO, and sign an FMV management services agreement. See MSO-PC formation ($15,000). Utah requires a Utah-formed professional entity, so a registration of an out-of-state PC does not cover it.
4. Get the EIN and NPI, open the PC's bank account, and start payer enrollment right away. Payers move on their own schedules.
5. Sign clinicians and supervision agreements with the new PC, effective on the cutover date.
6. Agree on record transfer or custody with the old vendor, and send patients a notice that names the new practice and explains how to reach their records.
7. Cut over: new visits book into the new PC, prescriptions route through its accounts, and claims go out under its tax ID once each payer confirms.
8. End the old agreement on its terms, and keep a file of every transfer and notice for diligence.

Shared PC or your own PC

A shared or rented PC can get a company to market quickly, and some teams stay on one for years. A PC owned by a physician matched to your company gives you a dedicated entity, your own payer contracts, and documents a buyer can review without a third party in the middle. See why Foundry does not sell a Super PC and how the operating test on CPOM compliance treats both models. If you are comparing vendors, the Permit Health alternatives and FriendlyPCOwner alternatives roundups list what to ask.

Pricing

Switching PC owner providers FAQ

Can I move from a shared PC to my own physician-owned PC?

Yes. Most companies do it by forming a new PC with a matched physician owner, enrolling that PC with payers, moving clinician contracts and patient records to it, and then ending the old management agreement on its notice terms. Running both entities side by side for a short overlap keeps billing and care continuous.

What should I check in my current PC owner contract before switching?

Look for the termination notice period, any fees due on exit, who owns the patient records and who serves as records custodian, non-solicitation terms covering clinicians, who controls the payer contracts, phone numbers, and domain names, and whether the vendor provides transition help.

What takes the longest when switching PC owners?

Payer enrollment is usually the longest step, because each payer credentials the new PC and reassigns each clinician on its own schedule. Start enrollment as soon as the new PC has a tax ID and NPI, and keep billing through the old entity until each payer confirms the new one.

Do patients have to be told when the practice changes entities?

Often, yes. Several state boards require patient notice when a physician leaves a practice or a practice closes, and patients need to know where their records are. Write one notice that names the new practice, explains how to get records, and confirms care continues, then check each state's rule.

How much does Foundry charge to set up the new PC?

MSO-PC formation is $15,000 one-time, scoped to the states you treat. A matched friendly PC owner is $3,000/mo. Formation typically takes 1 to 3 days once the states, the clinical model, and the physician match are scoped.

Related reading

Written and last reviewed 2026-10-23 by Matthew Milford, Founder. Sources: CMS NPPES and PECOS enrollment systems; state medical board patient-notice and records rules as cited on each Foundry state page; Foundry PC published pricing. Foundry PC is not a law firm. General information only, not legal advice.