DHPADigestive Health Physicians Association

What DHPADigestive Health Physicians Association does

Digestive Health Physicians Association (DHPA) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit professional trade association founded in 2014 and headquartered at 10770 Columbia Pike, Suite 400, Silver Spring, Maryland. DHPA represents independent gastroenterology physician practices — physician-owned entities delivering GI care outside hospital-employed or health-system settings — and is the only national organization exclusively focused on advocating for this delivery model. Its membership comprises more than 2,600 physicians across over 100 independent GI practices in 41 states (as of July 2026), up from 11 founding practices in 11 states in 2014.

DHPA's core "product" is policy advocacy and member services rather than technology. Its activities include federal and state-level advocacy on issues such as Stark Law modernization, preservation of the In-Office Ancillary Services Exception (IOASE), Medicare physician payment reform, prior authorization, and Part B drug reimbursement; publication of fact sheets, research, and policy comment letters to Congress and CMS; a Leadership Series of video content; and a state-level grant program that has disbursed more than $300,000 to support member practices' advocacy work. The organization is governed by a 12-member executive committee drawn from member-physician leadership.

DHPA's revenue model is a combination of recurring membership dues paid by independent GI practices and corporate sponsorships. Corporate supporters disclosed on the association's website include Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and Takeda as corporate members, and Eli Lilly as Premier Sponsor. The organization operates with a lean staff of 1–10 employees and is led by its first executive director, Kevin Harlen (named in 2016), with physician leadership rotating through the president and board chair role — currently Dr. Nadeem Baig of Allied Digestive Health. There is no disclosed funding, M&A, or external equity ownership; DHPA is an independent member-funded nonprofit.

Name

DHPADigestive Health Physicians Association

Legal name

Digestive Health Physicians Association, Inc.

Website

https://dhpassociation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

DHPA is a 501(c)(6) trade association founded in 2014 that advocates for independent gastroenterology physician practices on federal healthcare policy, representing over 2,600 physicians across 100+ practices in 41 states and funded by membership dues and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Silver Spring

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: DHPA generates revenue through membership dues from independent gastroenterology practices. The association represents physician practices that pay to join and receive advocacy representation, policy resources, and collective voice benefits.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

DHPA is a national trade association that recruits independent gastroenterology physician practices as members and delivers federal and state policy advocacy, regulatory representation, fact sheets, research, letters to policymakers, and networking on issues such as Stark Law reform, the In-Office Ancillary Services Exception (IOASE), Medicare physician payment, prior authorization, and pathology services utilization. Membership grants physician practices a unified voice on healthcare policy matters affecting independent GI care delivery.

Product overview

DHPADigestive Health Physicians Association (DHPA) is a trade association of independent gastroenterology physician practices, not a product company. It does not offer commercial products or services. DHPA's mission is to promote and preserve accessible, high quality and cost-efficient gastroenterological care in the independent medical practice setting through advocacy, policy efforts, research resources, and educational content for its member practices comprising more than 2,600 physicians in over 100 independent gastroenterology practices across 41 states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DHPA Membership for Independent GI Practices Annual membership in the Digestive Health Physicians Association for independent gastroenterology physician practices. Members receive federal and state advocacy representation on Stark Law, IOASE, MACRA, Medicare physician payment, prior authorization, and pathology services utilization; access to fact sheets, research, and letters to policymakers; networking with peer practice leaders; and eligibility for state-level advocacy grants.
• Federal and State Advocacy Representation Advocacy representation on behalf of independent gastroenterology practices before Congress, CMS, and state legislatures. Includes policy research, comment letters, and coalition leadership on issues such as Stark Law reform, the In-Office Ancillary Services Exception (IOASE), MACRA implementation, Medicare physician payment, and prior authorization reform.
• State Advocacy Grants Program Grants program providing funding to DHPA member practices to support state-level advocacy efforts on policy issues affecting independent GI practices, including scope of practice, site-of-service, and reimbursement matters.
• DHPA Corporate Sponsorship and Supporter Program Sponsorship packages (including Premier Sponsor and corporate member levels) for pharmaceutical and medical device companies to support DHPA's advocacy mission while engaging with member practices.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than $300,000 in grants provided to support advocacy efforts by member practices on key state policy issues
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Protecting Patient Access to Cancer and Complex Therapies Act CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 September 2023DHPA announced support for the Protecting Patient Access to Cancer and Complex Therapies Act (S. 2764, H.R. 5391) introduced by Senator John Barrasso and Representatives Mike Burgess and Greg Murphy. The legislation addresses Medicare Part B drug reimbursement cuts that threaten independent practice viability.
• American Medical Association (AMA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 September 2023DHPA and AMA collaborated on Milliman studies examining anatomic pathology services utilization, providing complementary data to defend the In-Office Ancillary Services Exception (IOASE). AMA published an op-ed in support of IOASE protection.
• GOP Healthy Futures Task ForceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 September 2023DHPA joined American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Association of Clinical Urologists, Infusion Providers Alliance, LUGPA, and Outpatient Ophthalmic Surgery Society in signing a letter to the GOP Healthy Futures Task Force with suggestions for policies to increase competition and reduce anti-competitive consolidation.
• Coalition of 22 Physician Organizations (Stark Law Reform)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 February 2016DHPA joined 21 other leading physician organizations in sending policy recommendations for modernizing the Stark Law to the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance and U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means. This coalition advocated for Stark Law reforms aligned with MACRA.
• Janssen Pharmaceuticals (J&J)minorOthersCorporate member of DHPA. J&J is listed as a corporate supporter/sponsor of the association, contributing to DHPA's advocacy and operational activities.
• Takeda PharmaceuticalsminorOthersCorporate member of DHPA. Takeda is listed as a corporate supporter/sponsor of the association, contributing to DHPA's advocacy and operational activities.
• Eli LillyminorOthersListed as Premier Sponsor of DHPA. Eli Lilly provides premier sponsorship support to the association.
• Tri-Societies (AGA, ACG, ASGE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDHPA works with the Tri-Societies (American Gastroenterological Association, American College of Gastroenterology, and American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy) on colorectal cancer screening advocacy and other GI policy issues.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• American College of Gastroenterology (ACG): National professional organization for gastroenterologists that advocates on clinical and health-policy issues for the specialty. One of the three Tri-Societies that partner with DHPA on shared policy priorities, providing comparable advocacy infrastructure for a partially overlapping member base.
• American Medical Association (AMA): Largest U.S. physician membership organization with a national advocacy footprint on Medicare reimbursement, prior authorization, and Stark Law reform. DHPA collaborates with AMA on Milliman pathology studies and IOASE defense, positioning AMA as a senior coalition partner and partial peer on shared policy issues.
• American Gastroenterological Association (AGA): Largest U.S. gastroenterology professional society serving all GI physicians (academic, hospital-employed, and independent). DHPA collaborates with AGA through the Tri-Societies coalition on colorectal cancer screening and policy advocacy, making it the most direct counterpart in the GI advocacy space despite AGA's broader (not independent-only) remit.
• American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE): Leading GI specialty society focused on endoscopic practice, training, and quality. Completes the Tri-Societies coalition alongside AGA and ACG; competes for member attention and advocacy agenda while partnering with DHPA on joint policy efforts.
• American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO): Major specialty society representing ophthalmologists on clinical, regulatory, and reimbursement matters. Joined DHPA on the GOP Healthy Futures Task Force letter and shares similar advocacy priorities around independent practice and Stark Law reform.

Direct peers

• Outpatient Ophthalmic Surgery Society (OOSS): Trade association for outpatient ophthalmic surgery centers that, like DHPA, focuses on independent specialty practice viability, Stark Law, and Medicare site-of-service payment policy. DHPA and OOSS co-signed the GOP Healthy Futures Task Force anti-consolidation letter, making them aligned advocacy peers.
• Large Urology Group Practice Association (LUGPA): National association representing independent urology group practices with a near-identical advocacy model — focused on Stark Law reform, IOASE, Medicare Part B drug reimbursement, and anti-consolidation policy. DHPA has explicitly partnered with LUGPA on the GOP Healthy Futures Task Force letter, making it the closest structural peer.
• American Association of Clinical Urologists (AACU): Independent urology advocacy organization with a mission and structure parallel to DHPA — protecting independent urology practices through federal and state-level policy work. Coalition partner with DHPA on the GOP Healthy Futures Task Force letter and comparable anti-consolidation advocacy.

Peers

• Medical Group Management Association (MGMA):

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DHPAnews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dhpanews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DHPADigestive Health Physicians Association