Four physician practices across the country closed or announced imminent closures in the last week, the latest sign of mounting financial and structural pressure on physician practices.
The closures span orthopedic and family medicine specialties and stretch from rural Minnesota to Tennessee, and follow a turbulent stretch for physician practice finances. Bankruptcies climbed to their highest level in recent years in 2024 before easing somewhat in 2025. Becker’s tracked 23 physician practice closures in 2025.
Here are the four physician practice closures in the last week:
1. A Fairmont, Minn., orthopedic surgeon has closed his independent practice after 36 years, citing the cumulative impact of the Affordable Care Act, COVID-19 and increasing consolidation in the local healthcare market. Corey Welchlin, MD, opened Center for Specialty Care in 1990 and grew the practice to 130 employees at its peak, serving communities across a wide region of southern Minnesota.
2. An Ascension-affiliated clinic in Pawhuska, Okla. will close June 30, raising concerns about access to care in the Osage County community. The closure leaves Pawhuska with one remaining clinic. The local hospital is also currently down a provider.
3. A family medicine clinic in Trenary, Mich. will permanently close April 28. UP Medical Group cited declining demand for services at the Trenary Family Medicine clinic. Patients may continue to see their current provider at Marquette Family Medicine or via telemedicine, or establish care with another UP Medical Group location.
4. Delta Orthopaedics, an orthopedic practice in Collierville, Tenn., appears to have abruptly shut down, leaving patients with no answers, according to a March 31 report from WHBQ-TV Fox 13. A woman who identified herself as a nurse practitioner working at Delta Orthopaedics claimed that both the Collierville and West Memphis, Tenn., locations have been closed.
At the Becker's 23rd Annual Spine, Orthopedic and Pain Management-Driven ASC + The Future of Spine Conference, taking place June 11-13 in Chicago, spine surgeons, orthopedic leaders and ASC executives will come together to explore minimally invasive techniques, ASC growth strategies and innovations shaping the future of outpatient spine care. Apply for complimentary registration now.
