The phrase references the act of seeking independently-owned healthcare or therapeutic services within a readily accessible geographical radius of an individual’s location. An example would be someone using an online search engine to find a therapist operating their own business in the same city.
Identifying healthcare providers operating independently offers potential benefits such as specialized care, increased flexibility in scheduling, and a more personalized patient-provider relationship. Historically, such access was limited to word-of-mouth referrals or directories, but modern search technology has significantly broadened accessibility.
