ABOUT THIS EPISODE
On the Surgical Assistant Podcast, John and Kelly interviewChristopher Sweebe, CSFA and founder/CEO of Precision Surgical Resources, about helping surgical assistants transition from W2 employment to independent 1099practice without getting overwhelmed by business operations. Sweebe explains PSR’s “fractional back office” model and partnerships (including All Starz anda long-time billing company) that support LLC setup, insurance, taxes, credentialing, collections, and facility contracting, while emphasizing that market factors like payer mix and state rules can determine whether independence is viable. He highlights common reimbursement barriers and a key documentation “pearl” for avoiding denials: the op note must include the assistant’s name and credential and clearly state why they were needed and what they did. The episode also covers PSR’s 20% fee, Weekly Fridaypayments,transparency, lack of non-competes, and longer-term efforts like grants to train surgical technologists.
https://precision-surgical.net/
00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
00:57 Why PSR Exists
02:54 Independence Roadmap
06:23 Fractional Back Office
07:50 Billing Rules by State
12:04 No Noncompete Model
13:25 Dictation Gets You Paid
17:59 Pricing and Transparency
20:21 Facility Contracts Strategy
29:07 Weekly Pay and Denials
33:36 All Starz Risk Model
36:49 Outsourcing Billing Risk
37:20 Op Note Denials Basics
37:57 No Gatekeeping Support
39:10 Fees and Payer Mix
40:29 How Onboarding Works
42:04 Profit Sharing Teams
44:27 Reimbursement Nuances
46:21 Turnkey Practice Setup
49:23 Owner Mindset Required
52:56 Transparency and Responsiveness
54:54 Future Grants Pipeline
58:32 Hard Work and Processes
01:04:05 Contact and Next Steps
