About
ABOUT AKW ASSOCIATES
Clinicians first. Entrepreneurs by design.
AKW Associates exists for one reason: to help Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioners build thriving businesses without sacrificing the clinical excellence that defines them. We handle the strategy and operations of running a practice — so you can stay focused on your patients.
OUR STORY
Great clinicians shouldn’t have to become accidental business owners.
Most PMHNPs are trained to deliver exceptional care — not to form a business, negotiate insurance panels, optimize an EHR, or build a marketing engine. Yet the moment they step into private practice, they’re expected to do all of it, often alone, and usually while still carrying a full clinical load.
AKW Associates was founded to close that gap. We help PMHNPs make the leap into entrepreneurship with confidence, giving them the strategy and operational infrastructure to run a real business — without pulling them away from the work only they can do.
We believe clinical expertise and business success aren’t competing priorities. Done right, strong operations protect your clinical focus rather than compete with it. That belief shapes every engagement we take on.
LEADERSHIP
Kerry Stotz
FOUNDER & HEALTHCARE CONSULTANT
Kerry Stotz is a healthcare consultant with more than 15 years of experience helping practices operate with clarity, compliance, and confidence. She founded AKW Associates after seeing a recurring pattern: brilliant clinicians who were ready to launch independent practices but had no partner to guide the business side.
Kerry brings a rare combination to the table — deep operational knowledge of how healthcare practices actually run, paired with a genuine respect for the clinical work at their center. Her approach is hands-on and practical. She doesn’t hand PMHNPs a stack of templates and wish them luck; she works alongside them to build systems that fit their practice, their patients, and the way they want to work.
For Kerry, success isn’t just a growing patient pipeline or a clean compliance record. It’s watching a clinician step fully into the role of practice owner — and realize they never had to choose between being a great provider and running a great business.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
The principles behind every engagement.
Value 01 — Clinical excellence comes first.
Everything we build is in service of your ability to deliver great care. Operations exist to protect your clinical focus, never to distract from it.
Value 02 — Specialized beats generalist.
We work exclusively with PMHNPs. That focus means we understand your regulatory environment, your patients, and your growth path in ways a general business consultant never could.
Value 03 — Partnership, not prescriptions.
We don’t drop off a playbook and disappear. We work alongside you, adapting strategy to your practice as it grows and changes.
Value 04 — Practical over theoretical.
Every recommendation we make is something you can act on. We measure our work by what actually gets built and what actually moves your practice forward.
OUR APPROACH
Strategy and operations, handled — so you can stay clinical.
We translate clinical excellence into operational strength across four areas that determine whether a practice thrives or stalls:
- Practice Strategy & Launch — Business formation, technology selection, and the operational foundation to open with confidence.
- Compliance & Operations — HIPAA-aligned frameworks, privacy policies, and audit-ready systems that keep you protected.
- Marketing & Patient Acquisition — Brand, web presence, and targeted outreach that fills your pipeline with the right patients.
- Practice Management Coaching — Financial clarity, hiring support, and the leadership guidance to run your practice like the business it is.
The result is a practice that grows without losing what makes it yours.
Ready to build a practice that runs like a business?
Discovery calls are 30 minutes, free of charge, and confidential. Let’s talk about where you are and where you want your practice to go.
CALL 410-395-4584 · EMAIL info@akwassociates.com