What if staying independent didn't have to mean going it alone?In this episode of PAC & Forth, we sit down with Tyler Tracewski, President of Astrana Care Partners, to unpack PAC's new collaboration with Astrana and what it means for independent primary care physicians navigating Medicare's shift to value-based care.This episode dives into:What an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) is, how shared savings work in traditional Medicare, and why Astrana's model carries no downside risk for participating physiciansThe real financial picture: in 2024, participating providers supplemented their fee-for-service income by an average of 50%, with top performers more than doubling itWhy independence is protected in this model, with no changes to clinical workflows, networks, or patient choiceHow prior authorization, reporting, and administrative burdens get absorbed by the ACO so the practice doesn't carry themHow independent physicians can join Medicare's value-based future without giving up autonomy, taking on risk, or adding to their administrative load. Tyler shares Astrana's track record of shared savings and why its wraparound model is built to keep small practices independent.For any primary care physician trying to stay independent in a consolidating system, this is essential listening.Tune in to hear what value-based care looks like when it's built around the physician, not the payer.