About The Support Platform
In 2000, my wife, Amy R. Sparks, MD, finished her family medicine residency at the University of Kansas and we relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada. We had not planned for Amy to be an independent practice owner, but her first employed position lasted ten days and her second practice never provided a contract. She came home from work one day in 2002 and said, ”I’m going to open my own practice.” Four months later, with six boxes of patient charts, a file cabinet and no financing, Amy launched Sparks Family Medicine, Ltd.
Over the last twenty-plus years, I have raised four kids and earned an MBA with an emphasis in Healthcare Management. I have consulted to other practices, worked as the Director of Risk Management in a physician-owned malpractice company, served as the Chief Operating Office for the investor-backed medical management company and co-authored a book on change management with my colleague Jim Carmack. (The coffee cup on the header is for Jim. Employees who wanted to talk but found him out of his office could leave their coffee cup on his desk. He would track them down to return the coffee cup and talk when he returned to his office.)
I decided several years ago that I enjoyed working with small practices rather than corporations, so I have been exploring the best way to do that. My goal for The Support Platform is to be an intermediary between practices and services. I plan to still offer my content and consulting, but I know that different practices have different needs. The Support Platform is my attempt to address the needs of small independent practices at an affordable price point and to be a valuable resource for providers looking to start or grow an independent practice.
Brett Sparks, MBA-HCM
The Support Platform