“The Corner Series” is a multiperspective podcast series by McGuireWoods featuring commentaries from lawyers, bankers and a number of specialists about the developments and issues dominating today’s middle-market private equity. Tune in with McGuireWoods partner, Geoff Cockrell as he and specialists share real-world insight to help enhance your knowledge.
Videos are posted on YouTube and social media channels. Podcasts also are available on Apple and Spotify.
Episode 100: The Business Development Mindset, With Scott Becker
“The effort it takes to get something new going is gargantuan,” reflects healthcare industry icon Scott Becker in The Corner Series’ milestone 100th episode. Drawing from decades of experience building legal and media businesses, Scott reveals to McGuireWoods colleague and host Geoff Cockrell why most ambitious professionals fail at practice development: They mistake activity for action, analyze too much and give up too early in the desert of “nothing happening.”
Episode 99: 20 Years of Evolving Healthcare PE, With Amber Walsh
For 20 years, McGuireWoods Executive Committee member Amber Walsh and host Geoff Cockrell have joined forces to run a healthcare private equity conference in Chicago. “Good content has always been, since the very beginning, one of the hallmarks of this conference,” Amber says as she and Geoff reflect on the conference as well as the state of healthcare private equity investing.
Tune in for their insights about emerging joint venture opportunities with health systems, the continued importance of inclusion initiatives and why diversification remains the dominant investment theme in today’s healthcare private equity landscape.
Episode 98: The Floor vs. Ceiling Shift in Healthcare M&A, With TUSK Practice Sales
Today, sellers of healthcare practices look for a higher floor than ceiling, explains Ryan Mingus, managing director of TUSK Practice Sales, a healthcare M&A advisory firm. Ryan teams up with director Connor Jorgensen for a discussion about how practice owners’ priorities have shifted from maximizing valuation to seeking operational support and sustainability.
Speaking with McGuireWoods partner and host Geoff Cockrell, Ryan and Connor describe how joint venture structures have become increasingly popular across specialties, from dental to GI and dermatology, as sellers prioritize ongoing distributions over potentially risky holding company equity.
Episode 97: How One Orthopedic Platform Defies Market Headwinds, With Grady Wilson
“We’re in the best spot from a capital standpoint since I’ve been with this organization,” says Grady Wilson, chief development officer at Varsity-backed Orthopedic Care Partners (OCP). In this conversation with McGuireWoods partner and host Geoff Cockrell, Grady discusses how OCP’s recent $185 million Brookfield investment positions it for aggressive growth despite challenging market conditions.
Drawing from his experience growing OCP to 150 physicians across five states, Grady shares insights about physician recruitment strategies, value-based care opportunities and the untapped potential in mid-sized markets. He also reveals how OCP’s compensation model creates alignment at local and organization-wide levels to drive success in today’s orthopedic landscape.
Episode 96: The Joint Venture Model Revolutionizing DSOs, With Justin Puckett
“If you don’t have a proper alignment model,” cautions MB2 Dental President Justin Puckett, “it’s really hard to win in this game.” Speaking with McGuireWoods partner and host Geoff Cockrell, Justin explains why most dental service organizations (DSOs) struggle with provider retention and growth.
He also unveils MB2’s groundbreaking joint venture approach in which dentists maintain local ownership while receiving monthly distributions — a model that has propelled them to nearly 800 practices nationwide. Tune in for insights about the future of large DSOs, acquisition strategies and how MB2’s pioneering approach reshapes the dental industry landscape.
Episode 95: The Real Truth About PE in Healthcare, With Lauren Makhoul
A principal in the financial services practice at Avalere Health, Lauren Makhoul challenges prevailing narratives about institutional capital. “Private equity investment in healthcare reduces Medicare expenditures by almost $1,000 per beneficiary,” she explains to McGuireWoods partner and host Geoff Cockrell and partner Alyssa Campbell.
Avalere does buy-side, regulatory and reimbursement due diligence for PE sponsors investing across healthcare. Tune in for insights into how capital investment enables struggling practices to survive, provides expansion opportunities without personal guarantees and creates the scale necessary for value-based care participation.
Episode 94: What Are Healthcare Investment Packs Pursuing? With Matt Searles and Bart Walker
Investors, as Bart Walker likes to say, “tend to run in packs.” The co-chair of McGuireWoods’ healthcare industry team, Bart describes the current “pack” running not so much toward value-based care but rather toward “some risk element, something more interesting than just traditional fee-for-service.”
In this conversation with host Geoff Cockrell, Bart and Matt Searles from Merritt Healthcare explore the slowdown from previous market peaks. But they also highlight opportunities in consumer-focused segments. Tune in for their insights about trends in regulatory scrutiny, artificial intelligence, and joint ventures.
Episode 93: The Compensation Mistake PPM Investors Regret, With John Tiedmann
“The key to successful physician practice management is self-control on the sell-side and being reasonable about compensation,” observes John Tiedmann, a managing director at Physician Growth Partners, in this conversation with host Geoff Cockrell. With over 70 deals across various medical specialties, John describes how PPM investments have evolved from pure growth to facing challenges in physician alignment and compensation structures.
The discussion highlights emerging pharmaceutical distributors as strategic buyers for large platforms and explores how compensation models are adapting to ensure sustainable practices. Despite recent headwinds, he remains bullish on the sector’s future as platforms correct alignment issues and valuation expectations normalize.
Episode 92: Winning the Insurance Game in Healthcare Transactions, With Hannah Ellithorpe
“Underwriters are more willing to take creative approaches now than they would have been in the last couple of years,” observes Hannah Ellithorpe, executive director and head of healthcare and life sciences at Atlantic Global Risk. The former M&A attorney shares with McGuireWoods partner and host Geoff Cockrell how the representation and warranty insurance market has evolved toward more flexible coverage terms at lower costs.
Hannah details how softening market conditions have created opportunities to secure previously unattainable regulatory compliance coverage and discusses emerging products specifically designed for healthcare providers serving vulnerable populations.
Episode 91: Can AI Level the Playing Field in Dental Marketing? With Ryan Torresan
“The hot topic right now is how AI fits into dental marketing,” says Ryan Torresan, chief marketing officer at Peak Dental Services. With 14 years of experience across multiple dental service organizations (DSOs), Ryan predicts AI will be a market “leveler” that benefits large and small practices while blurring traditional lines between marketing and operations functions.
Tune in for his insights about new markets, creating efficient lead generation systems and measuring marketing success with McGuireWoods partner and host Geoff Cockrell.
Episode 90: Investment Opportunities in Behavioral Health, With Adam Abramowitz
The behavioral health sector encompasses segments from substance abuse treatment to autism therapy — a breadth of opportunity that Adam Abramowitz, managing director at Intrepid Investment Bankers, explores with McGuireWoods partner and host Geoff Cockrell. Adam details how reduced stigma and increased reimbursements are driving significant market growth, particularly in underserved rural areas.
While discussing industry evolution, he notes a critical shift from out-of-network to in-network insurance strategies driven by institutional investors. Despite considerable private equity activity, he characterizes the market as being in the “middle innings” of consolidation, with substantial unmet demand creating compelling investment cases for mission-driven providers who can deliver care where access is limited.
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