Abilene Family Practice

A major chapter in that story began in 2016, when Abilene Family Practice moved into its current building.

The new space gave the physicians a home that reflected their identity as an independent private practice. Each physician had dedicated space. The practice gained its own lab. The facility gave the group room to shape the patient experience around the way its physicians wanted to practice and to welcome additional providers over time.

For Lorrie, the move almost felt like the physicians were opening their practices again for the first time.

It also demonstrated what independent practice could look like to other physicians.

When Dr. Annie Drachenberg considered the next step in her career, Abilene Family Practice offered a different path. She could see the physicians’ autonomy, the environment they had created, and the opportunity to practice independently.

She chose to become part of it.

That story has continued as Abilene Family Practice has looked for opportunities to expand its physician team and increase its ability to serve more people in the community.

The practice has grown, but independence remains at the center of that progress.

That independence also makes operating the practice more nuanced.

The physicians share a building, an electronic medical record platform, billing resources, staff, and other infrastructure, but they remain independent in many of the ways they choose to practice.

A change that works well for one physician may not be the right fit for another.

That is especially visible as new tools emerge. Some physicians are experimenting with artificial intelligence for documentation and daily workflows, while others are approaching it more gradually.

The practice has learned to make progress without assuming that everyone must adopt change in exactly the same way or at exactly the same pace.

“They love their independence,” Lorrie said. “They love being able to make their own policies and have that freedom.”

Preserving that freedom while creating the consistency needed to operate effectively has become part of Abilene Family Practice’s identity.

The goal is not standardization for its own sake. It is building an environment where physicians can focus on practicing medicine while the structure around them keeps pace.

When Lorrie arrived in 2016, paper charts were still part of daily life.

The move toward an electronic medical record required adjustment, particularly for physicians who had long-established ways of practicing. Over time, however, the benefits became increasingly practical.

When a physician completed documentation, staff could move a referral forward. The same information could be used to pursue a medication authorization or help coordinate imaging. Results could make their way back to the physician more efficiently.

What began as a change in documentation ultimately affected the flow of patient care.

As those processes became more connected, staff could act on the physician’s direction more efficiently, while physicians gained more timely access to the information they needed for the next step in a patient’s care.

The shift has continued well beyond the medical record.

Referrals, benefits, payer interactions, internal communication, documentation, and much of the practice’s daily coordination now depend on digital processes. Microsoft Teams has become part of how employees communicate throughout the day, whether they are sharing an update, locating someone in the building, or responding to something that needs immediate attention.

Those tools are now woven into how the practice operates.

For Abilene Family Practice, dependable technology is not simply an administrative convenience. It helps physicians and staff stay connected so they can spend more of their attention on patients and the responsibilities of the practice.

Tolar Systems has been part of Abilene Family Practice’s story since the current building was being constructed in 2016.

Tolar Systems is a technology services and consulting company focused on aligning technology with an organization’s long-term direction. What began as a smaller technology role developed over roughly a decade into Complete Care, Tolar’s managed technology and consulting relationship with the practice.

As Abilene Family Practice evolved, Tolar’s role evolved with it.

One of the most meaningful decisions was intentionally assigning Spence Southall as the practice’s fractional CIO. His background in medical practice operations gave him context beyond technology alone.

For Lorrie, the difference is simple.

“We speak the same language.”

Spence understands that a discussion about an electronic medical record may actually involve physician behavior, documentation requirements, reporting programs, workflow, or the realities of managing a group of highly independent providers.

That became particularly valuable when Lorrie was working to improve reporting and documentation. The challenge was not simply configuring software. It involved helping physicians adjust habits and processes while respecting the way the practice operates.

Because Spence understood that environment, the conversation could go deeper.

That reflects Tolar’s broader purpose of guiding businesses to success through tailored technology. The objective is not to apply the same answer to every client. It is to understand the organization well enough to provide guidance that fits its people, operations, priorities, and long-term direction.

The relationship also shows up in practical moments. When Lorrie recently hired an employee on short notice, the practice needed that person ready to work immediately. Tolar responded, and the new employee was operational on her first day.

“My urgency ended up being your urgency,” Lorrie said. “You guys always follow through.”

For Abilene Family Practice, the value is found in both levels: strategic conversations shaped by an understanding of healthcare and dependable execution when something simply needs to get done.

Abilene Family Practice continues to look ahead.

The practice has explored expanding its physician team, adding staff, and using telehealth as another way to connect with patients. Its physicians are also evaluating emerging tools, including artificial intelligence, at a pace that fits their individual practices.

Those decisions will continue to be made with the same principle that has guided the organization for years: preserving the freedom for physicians to practice medicine in the way they believe best serves their patients.

That is what makes the growth of Abilene Family Practice notable.

The practice has modernized considerably since 2016, but modernization has not required it to become something different. It has expanded its capabilities while continuing to protect the independence that attracted its physicians and shaped the way they care for families.

For a growing professional practice, there is a broader lesson in that experience. The right technology strategy is not necessarily the one that introduces the most tools or applies the same model everywhere. Greater value can come from having advisors who understand the organization well enough to know what fits, what does not, and where technology can help move the business toward its goals.

After roughly a decade together, that is the role Tolar continues to play for Abilene Family Practice: understanding where the practice is going and bringing technology expertise and guidance that fit that direction.

The larger story still belongs to the physicians and staff who have built the practice.

They have created a place where doctors can retain meaningful control over how they practice medicine, where patient relationships can extend across generations, and where continued growth creates opportunities to bring that approach to more families.

Abilene Family Practice continues to move forward without giving up the independence that made it distinctive in the first place.