A physician-led technology optimization initiative at Frontier Dermatology moved the organization toward proactive, strategic technology planning driven by the practice itself, rather than decisions led by an outside vendor. This shift was central to Frontier Dermatology’s decision to partner with HealthSpaces: rather than ceding the keys to their technology and infrastructure to a vendor, Frontier Dermatology wanted a partner who understood their strategy and let them retain ownership and control of their own systems. Through a governance model anchored in peer-to-peer physician leadership, clinical leaders aligned more effectively around technology and budget decisions. This approach reduced unplanned financial spend and established long-term operational stability. Practice Overview Company Name: Frontier Dermatology  Locations: ~40 locations across the Pacific Northwest (Oregon & Washington) Practice Size: 55+ physicians, 30+ PAs, 35+ NPs, residents, and aestheticians Practice Type: Dermatology What We Solved For many physician-owned practices, technology costs often feel like a combination of overly complex “black box” solutions that intermittently require a seemingly “black hole” level of unplanned CapEx and OpEx spend. Frontier Dermatology did not need incremental process refinement. The challenge was to transition from a fragmented, vendor-driven environment into something predictable, before pursuing improvement that was financially realistic for a mid-enterprise practice. Before partnering with HealthSpaces, Frontier Dermatology experienced frequent unplanned financial spending driven by vendor-initiated infrastructure refreshes, architecture decisions, end-of-life timelines that weren’t communicated in advance, and time-sensitive system updates – all of which disrupted the practice’s financial planning. Beyond the numbers, there was a cultural gap. Technology was often viewed as an administrative burden rather than a clinical tool. Technology felt like something done to the practice rather than something delivering value for the practice. Without a roadmap aligned to the business’s goals, technology investments lacked the support needed to connect back to Frontier Dermatology’s strategy, while legacy tools frequently created operational friction, preventing staff from focusing fully on patient care. Frontier Dermatology needed a way to proactively prepare for technology investments while ensuring decisions were vetted by the people delivering care and supporting clinical operations. Key Results 1. From Multiple Strategies To One Aligned Strategy  Frontier Dermatology implemented a three-year technology roadmap and budget that gave executive leadership and clinical stakeholders clear visibility into future technology needs, costs, and the support required to achieve their goals. This shift replaced last-minute funding requests with a disciplined, transparent planning model aligned to clinical and operational priorities. “Before, our IT vendor didn’t have a roadmap or budget that connected our technology spend to our business goals. Now, working in partnership with HealthSpaces to support our business objectives, our executive team can look three years out, understand what we’re investing in and why, and make decisions from a position of strength instead of opting directly for whatever a vendor is telling us we need next.” – Bill Frerichs, CEO, Frontier Dermatology 2. Clinical Alignment Through Shared Decision-Making To ensure technology decisions supported clinical operations rather than disrupting them, Frontier Dermatology reinforced a peer-driven decision-making approach grounded in physician leadership and operational stakeholders. While a physician-led Technology Steering Committee provided formal structure, alignment extended well beyond a single forum. Technology priorities were shaped through clinical peer input from physicians helping distinguish between refinement that added real clinical value and complexity that is not economically efficient at mid-enterprise scale. By centering decisions around real clinical experience, Frontier Dermatology built trust, improved alignment, and enabled smoother execution across the organization. “When technology decisions come from physician peers who are actually in the clinic, you know they support what our patients need, what our team and providers need, and what the business needs. When those three are aligned, you get better outcomes. That’s not a small thing at our scale.” – Bill Frerichs, CEO, Frontier Dermatology Part of the value of this roadmap-driven approach was that it started with the actual problems Frontier Dermatology needed to solve, rather than the many solutions vendors often bring looking for a problem to attach to. By identifying real clinical and operational needs first, and only then evaluating which technology could address them, Frontier Dermatology ensured every investment made outcomes measurably better, not just different. When new initiatives were introduced, recommendations were reviewed through this peer-informed framework before vendor and product selection and broader rollout. Because guidance came from respected physician leaders and administrative stakeholders rather than vendor-driven solutions, adoption was smoother and technology stayed aligned with the needs of patients, providers, and the business — driving better outcomes across the organization. This approach preserved physician autonomy as the organization scaled, kept technology aligned with clinical standards, and supported a practical, evolving roadmap that could flex and remain relevant over time. 3. Reinvesting for Practice Longevity and Scalable Growth Frontier Dermatology’s technology transformation generated more than $1.2M in measurable economic impact by converting inefficient technology spend into sustainable cost savings and a scalable operating model. Technology shifted from a standalone expense into a repeatable operating advantage, aligned with the business’s broader goals and directly supporting integration, growth, and financial discipline. Targeted reinvestment strengthened foundational security and infrastructure, including $600K savings in network standardization and upgrades to deliver consistent performance and security across sites, and $195K savings in workstation upgrades, projected to reduce security issues and resolution time by 33%. HealthSpaces introduced different architecture options that are far more appropriate for a mid-enterprise practice, plus helped Frontier Dermatology implement more streamlined and collaborative support models, which better serve both clinical and business office operations.  To sustain these gains, Frontier Dermatology established new operating rhythms and a regular cadence of communication and updates to clinic staff and leadership. This consistent visibility enabled earlier issue detection, tighter operational control, lower costs, and more confident execution of growth initiatives. – Bill Frerichs, CEO, Frontier Dermatology Conclusion: Reducing Unplanned Financial Spend Through Physician-Led Alignment By anchoring technology decisions in a long-term roadmap aligned with Frontier Dermatology’s business goals, the practice significantly reduced the unplanned financial spend that vendor-driven decisions had historically imposed on operations. Clear budgeting and long-range planning gave leadership confidence in future expenditures