Send us Fan Mail Cancer care is consolidating, costs keep climbing, and more clinicians find themselves employed by giant systems. So how does an independent oncology practice not only survive, but grow to around 15 doctors while promising faster access and lower-cost care for patients? We sit down with Dr Neil Sharp, a haematologist and oncologist in Northwest Indiana and a leader at Northwest Cancer Centers, to unpack the real mechanics behind building a community cancer centre that patients trust. We talk about the leap from “a practice” to “an organisation”, the sleepless early years, and the business skills medical school doesn’t teach: hiring, communication, decision-making under pressure, and keeping a team aligned when the stakes are life and death. Dr Sharp shares concrete operating choices that shape patient experience, from seeing new cancer diagnoses within 24 hours to building a foundation that helps with everyday needs like fuel, groceries, and childcare. We also get into the hard systems issues: private equity incentives, hospital reimbursement advantages, prior authorisations, and why independent practices are often the lowest-cost place to receive the same care. On the clinical operations side, we explore how oncology has expanded from a few dozen drugs to hundreds, what that means for staff training, compliance, oral oncology pharmacy services, and how nimble groups can adopt new therapies quickly, sometimes faster than major academic centres. If you care about independent practice, oncology leadership, patient access, and the future of healthcare delivery in the US, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review with your biggest question about keeping high-quality care independent. Guest Biography Dr Neel Shah is a hematologist and oncologist at Northwest Cancer Centers, an independent, multi-location oncology practice serving patients across Northwest Indiana. After training at Rush University Medical Center, Dr Shah joined a fellow physician in developing an independent oncology practice that has grown from a single rented office into an organisation with approximately 15 doctors. Alongside his clinical work, Dr Shah teaches at Indiana University School of Medicine and is involved in developing the practice's research and clinical trial programmes. His approach combines access to advanced cancer treatments with a commitment to patient-centred, community-based care. He is also president of a charitable foundation supporting cancer patients with practical needs, including transportation-related expenses, groceries and childcare. An advocate for independent medicine, Dr Shah believes that physician-led practices can deliver high-quality, accessible care while remaining financially sustainable. His experience spans medical practice growth, healthcare leadership, staffing, reimbursement challenges and the evolving role of technology in healthcare. Contact Details Website: https://www.nccindiana.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neel-shah-297a76b/Subscribe on Substack Voices in Health and Wellness is published on Substack, as part of The Diagnostician. Every episode lands there with written notes and reflections you won't find in the podcast feed. Free to subscribe. 👉 https://thediagnostician.substack.com/s/voices-in-health-and-wellness About the podcast Voices in Health and Wellness features conversations at the intersection of medicine, lifestyle, and human potential, with clinicians, scientists, and thinkers shaping the future of care. About Dr Andrew Greenland UK-based medical doctor and founder of Greenland Medical, specialising in Integrative and Functional Medicine. Trained in both conventional and root-cause approaches, Andrew helps people optimise health, performance, and longevity, with a focus on cognitive resilience and healthy ageing.
