The DocPreneur Leadership Podcast A Conversation Designed FOR Doctors.

By Editor, Concierge Medicine Today
 
It has been a minute since my wife and I watched Mad Men.
 
I still remember a few quotes, though. I recall Roger Sterling's sage marketing and business advice (above) with ease.
 
Unrelated, my wife and our close family friends recalled just last week how we found Betty, a fun character with a few quirky phrases of her own pretty memorable as well.
 
Remember when her son Bobby said, "I'm bored."
 
She replied, "Go bang your head against a wall...Only boring people are bored."
 
It was not great motherly advice, but her character was entertaining, to say the least.
 
Back on point: According to a new report published by the American Medical Association, between 2012 and 2022, the share of physicians working in private practices decreased by 13 percentage points — from 60.1% to 46.7%.
 
Additionally, Slate.com wrote, 'Doctors who run practices are essentially business owners, but many have never learned to manage a staff.'
 
Fierce Healthcare reported that 'Medical graduate students are at a disadvantage when they don't get trained on the business elements of medical practice.'
 
Finally, Harvard Business Review writes, 'Most physicians have been trained to keep emotion out of the job, and are not comfortable showing vulnerability in the workplace.'
 
READ FULL STORY | INFOGRAPHIC ...
 
© Concierge Medicine Today, LLC. ("CMT") All rights reserved.
 
Disclaimers: All content presented here is for general information purposes only. It is NOT intended to provide medical, legal, professional, accounting or financial advice. No warranties or guarantees are assumed or implied and user(s) releases Concierge Medicine Today, LLC, its agents, representatives, affiliated brands/companies and/or guests from all damages, liability and/or claims. Be advised, some references, companies, individuals, products, services, resources and/or links may be out-of-date. Concierge Medicine Today, LLC does not update content past its release date. User(s) assume all risk and liability with any use of the content as well as third party links. Concierge Medicine Today, LLC., has no formal peer review and, therefore, cannot guarantee the validity of information and/or content contained on its web sites, podcasts, and/or all content it produces or releases. While some of our speakers may be licensed Physicians, they are not your Physician. Please consult your Physician related to anything you may have read or heard or have questions about or call 911. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not necessarily represent the views, thoughts, and/or opinions of Concierge Medicine Today, LLC. The "Concierge Medicine Today, LLC" ("CMT") name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service. Additional disclaimers, releases, terms of use and conditions apply also to the production and/or use of this content, https://conciergemedicinetoday.org/tcpp/.

Dr. Joseph is the co-author of “Designing for Health: The Human-Centered Approach,” a book that promotes the intentional application of design to the particular needs of clinicians, hospital staff, and patients. We caught up with him in today's Concierge Medicine Today's DocPreneur Leadership Podcast. 
 
Craig Joseph, MD is the Chief Medical Officer of Nordic Consulting Partners, a global healthcare management consulting firm. Craig has 30 years of healthcare and IT experience. In addition to practicing medicine as a primary care pediatrician for eight years, he worked for Epic for six-plus years and has served as chief medical information officer at multiple healthcare organizations.
 
LISTEN TO FULL EPISODE ON iTUNES ... WATCH OUR INTERVIEW HERE ... Amazon link for the book: https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Health-Human-Centered-Craig-Joseph/dp/0960120505/ref=sr_1_1  
While at Epic, Dr. Craig Joseph helped build what is now called the Foundation System. He also assisted in the implementation and optimization of the electronic health record for Epic customers across the United States and Europe.
 
After leaving Epic, Craig was the CMIO at Agnesian HealthCare, a Cerner/Oracle Health enterprise customer. He has subsequently served as the long-term interim CMIO at Epic-customers Texas Children’s Hospital (Houston), El Camino Health (Mountain View, CA), and Seattle Children’s Hospital.
 
Dr. Joseph is the co-author of “Designing for Health: The Human-Centered Approach,” a book that promotes the intentional application of design to the particular needs of clinicians, hospital staff, and patients.
 
Craig is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Informatics Association. He remains actively board-certified in both pediatrics and clinical informatics.
Craig Joseph, MD serves as the Chief Medical Officer of Nordic Consulting Partners. He is a board-certified pediatrician and clinical informatician. Craig practiced primary care pediatrics for nine years before moving to Madison, WI to work for Epic. After seven years there, he served as Chief Medical Information Officer for several hospital systems using both Epic and Cerner electronic health records. At Nordic, Dr. Joseph works with hospitals and healthcare systems to help them improve clinician happiness and efficiency. He’s recently co-authored a book about applying the principles of human-centered design to healthcare.
 
Amazon link for the book: https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Health-Human-Centered-Craig-Joseph/dp/0960120505/ref=sr_1_1 Connect with Dr. Jospeh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigjoseph/ Learn more about Nordic Global at our website: https://www.nordicglobal.com/  
© Concierge Medicine Today, LLC. ("CMT") All rights reserved.
 
Disclaimers: All content presented here is for general information purposes only. It is NOT intended to provide medical, legal, professional, accounting or financial advice. No warranties or guarantees are assumed or implied and user(s) releases Concierge Medicine Today, LLC, its agents, representatives, affiliated brands/companies and/or guests from all damages, liability and/or claims. Be advised, some references, companies, individuals, products, services, resources and/or links may be out-of-date. Concierge Medicine Today, LLC does not update content past its release date. User(s) assume all risk and liability with any use of the content as well as third party links. Concierge Medicine Today, LLC., has no formal peer review and, therefore, cannot guarantee the validity of information and/or content contained on its web sites, podcasts, and/or all content it produces or releases. While some of our speakers may be licensed Physicians, they are not your Physician. Please consult your Physician related to anything you may have read or heard or have questions about or call 911. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own an

Our special physician guest today is Dr. Tabatha Wells. Tabatha is starting her own new Direct Primary Care (DPC) practice and we caught up with her to talk about a wide range of topics. Our discussion included: 
 
DPC Start-Up Challenges and Opportunities The primary care physician shortage challenges and opportunities Gratitude in healthcare and physician burnout LGBT+ Care and more.  
Dr. Tabatha Wells obtained her medical degree from the Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Medicine. She completed her Family and Community Medicine residency through the SIU School of Medicine and is a Board-Certified Family Physician. Dr. Wells started her Direct Primary Care practice to ensure she provides exceptional primary care without all the barriers and frustrations of traditional healthcare models. At appointments, you can expect her to take as much time as needed to understand your health needs and ensure you feel seen and heard on every visit.
 
Dr. Wells struggled with frequent illness as a child and was inspired by her pediatrician, who made doctor visits feel safe and fun. She pursued a career in medicine to give back to her community and provide that same level of care to patients in need. After many years in academic medicine, she realized a drastic change was necessary. She entered Direct Primary Care to take back control of how she practices medicine while enhancing patient access and prioritizing the patient-physician relationship.
 
Office Phone: 217-858-3356
 
Email: info@bewellhealth.care
 
Web Site: https://bewellhealth.care
 
Dr. Wells sees patients of all ages, backgrounds, and levels of health. She provides a compassionate, affirming, and non-judgmental health environment, so you can trust her with any health or wellness issue you face. She proudly supports the LGBTQ+ community and provides hormone therapy in her practice. She is also an avid supporter of local businesses and any company that promotes diversity and inclusivity.
 
© Concierge Medicine Today, LLC. ("CMT") All rights reserved.
 
Disclaimers: All content presented here is for general information purposes only. It is NOT intended to provide medical, legal, professional, accounting or financial advice. No warranties or guarantees are assumed or implied and user(s) releases Concierge Medicine Today, LLC, its agents, representatives, affiliated brands/companies and/or guests from all damages, liability and/or claims. Be advised, some references, companies, individuals, products, services, resources and/or links may be out-of-date. Concierge Medicine Today, LLC does not update content past its release date. User(s) assume all risk and liability with any use of the content as well as third party links. Concierge Medicine Today, LLC., has no formal peer review and, therefore, cannot guarantee the validity of information and/or content contained on its web sites, podcasts, and/or all content it produces or releases. While some of our speakers may be licensed Physicians, they are not your Physician. Please consult your Physician related to anything you may have read or heard or have questions about or call 911. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not necessarily represent the views, thoughts, and/or opinions of Concierge Medicine Today, LLC. The "Concierge Medicine Today, LLC" ("CMT") name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service. Additional disclaimers, releases, terms of use and conditions apply also to the production and/or use of this content, https://conciergemedicinetoday.org/tcpp/.

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Release/Ship Date: May 31, 2024 (or sooner, if possible!)
 
How do your patients feel, really?
 
We’re not talking about their physical symptoms. We’re talking about their feelings.
 
Squishy right?
 
Patients walk into your practice each day with two things: feelings and needs. Typically, the Doctor is amazing at meeting the patient’s physical needs. However, feelings are just as important.
 
Consider how the patient felt when they waited on hold to make an appointment after navigating an overly complicated phone tree. How did they feel when no one remembered their name when they checked in? How did they feel when the clipboard of forms was given to them again? Or, how did they feel when they were escorted to the exam room, the door closed, and they were left alone with no ETA about when the Doctor would arrive? And how did they feel when your team helped them check out and didn’t explain the bill?
 
Every patient will leave with a feeling about you and your practice. In today’s rushed and impersonal healthcare environment, patients’ feelings and subsequent actions and reactions are born from their experiences. Think about your last five online reviews. When the patient spent 27 minutes waiting in an empty seating area with no updates from the personnel who sat just ten feet away, gossiping about their coworkers and making endless phone calls, how does that make them feel? When the doctor kept forgetting their name, how did that experience make them feel?
 
Patients are burning out. I know this because I am a Patient. We all are. We’re feeling unwelcomed, disrespected, rushed, ignored, and undervalued. Most medical office leaders would blame it on bureaucracy, insurance hassles, and busyness and cross their arms, ignore the awkward feelings patients get, and move on with their day. Few are willing to try something different and make the patient feel like they’re at home here.
 
Fortunately, even science backs us up on this. According to Harvard professor Gerald Zaltman, “95% of purchase decision-making takes place in the subconscious mind”. So, in essence, our emotions drive purchasing behavior and our decision-making 95% of the time. This means that if you and your medical office team are not habitually paying attention to a patient's feelings throughout the entire journey, from start to finish, patients will go elsewhere. Chances are they’ll find someone who pays attention to all the little details that make them feel a certain way about their healthcare beyond the doctor meeting their needs.
 
Let me be clear: this book does not advocate removing all waiting rooms from our healthcare culture. In many areas, they’re necessary. But we need to do more about addressing the small habits medical offices have become accustomed to under the business of busyness and hiding behind the excuse of “Well, that’s how we’ve always done it.” For patients in today's healthcare culture, the most challenging part is not the actual waiting but when we feel that the medical staff and our Doctors have forgotten about us and don’t meet our expectations. We get a feeling when we’re on the other side of you and your team.
 
Like it or not, this is a marketing book, but not in the traditional sense. Old-school marketing tells customers (i.e., patients) that you control the message. Today, that theory doesn’t hold water. Today, new school marketing, especially in healthcare settings, says, “The customers (i.e., patients) inform others about you.”
This is where feelings get involved, and a simple appointment can turn into a remarkable and memorable story for patients who will tell others about you and your team. You see, it’s about the front office staff talking with the patients until the insurance benefits and bills are really understood. It’s about the

When decision-makers in healthcare are approached with sound advice, but it arrives at their front door from a source "outside" healthcare, why is it so quickly dismissed?
 
One might say, "I don't want anyone telling me how to practice medicine?"
 
The advice may have nothing to do with what happens inside the exam room, but it is about how your staff communicates with your patients in such a way that makes the Patient feel like an inconvenience.
 
Today, I want to unpack something you may have learned about in your undergraduate studies. It's called the genetic fallacy.
 
The genetic fallacy is a logical fallacy that occurs when someone dismisses an argument or idea based on its origins or history rather than evaluating the concept on its own merits, not the source. This fallacy assumes that something must be either true or false based on who and where it came from rather than being judged based on its qualities.
 
For example, a hospital administrator might reject an idea from a Physician simply because it was suggested by someone they don't like or someone with a history of making unpopular suggestions without carefully considering the proposal's strengths and weaknesses. Sound familiar?
 
Alternatively, a medical practice might continue to invest in a SaaS, EMR, or outdated process because it has always done so. However, whether it is still the best course of action today still needs to be examined.
 
 
© Concierge Medicine Today, LLC. ("CMT") All rights reserved.
 
Disclaimers: All content presented here is for general information purposes only. It is NOT intended to provide medical, legal, professional, accounting or financial advice. No warranties or guarantees are assumed or implied and user(s) releases Concierge Medicine Today, LLC, its agents, representatives, affiliated brands/companies and/or guests from all damages, liability and/or claims. Be advised, some references, companies, individuals, products, services, resources and/or links may be out-of-date. Concierge Medicine Today, LLC does not update content past its release date. User(s) assume all risk and liability with any use of the content as well as third party links. Concierge Medicine Today, LLC., has no formal peer review and, therefore, cannot guarantee the validity of information and/or content contained on its web sites, podcasts, and/or all content it produces or releases. While some of our speakers may be licensed Physicians, they are not your Physician. Please consult your Physician related to anything you may have read or heard or have questions about or call 911. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not necessarily represent the views, thoughts, and/or opinions of Concierge Medicine Today, LLC. The "Concierge Medicine Today, LLC" ("CMT") name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service. Additional disclaimers, releases, terms of use and conditions apply also to the production and/or use of this content, https://conciergemedicinetoday.org/tcpp/.

Patients are often treated as inconvenient obstacles. That's not okay with me.
 
Patient burnout in today's healthcare culture is like cancer. It is slowly growing in every community around the country.
 
It attaches itself to overworked, stressed out, burned out, 'I'll get to that later,' 'Can I have your name' medical practices across America.
 
You'll know it has infected your practice when you hear phrases like that. Until one day, you look up, overhear, or like the Terminator, become self-aware of your workplace and realize just how important it is to show gratitude for your patients. 
Patients can be fickle customers.
 

We're emotional. We're needy. We're indifferent. And, sometimes, we're happy to be here. Visiting your Practice is our choice. Every patient is a customer. Every customer has a choice. They vote today with their feet and their wallets. If you don't care, they'll leave, and they'll send one last souvenir in the form of an online review. 
 
The Choice Is Where You Start.
 
© Concierge Medicine Today, LLC. ("CMT") All rights reserved.
 
Disclaimers: All content presented here is for general information purposes only. It is NOT intended to provide medical, legal, professional, accounting or financial advice. No warranties or guarantees are assumed or implied and user(s) releases Concierge Medicine Today, LLC, its agents, representatives, affiliated brands/companies and/or guests from all damages, liability and/or claims. Be advised, some references, companies, individuals, products, services, resources and/or links may be out-of-date. Concierge Medicine Today, LLC does not update content past its release date. User(s) assume all risk and liability with any use of the content as well as third party links. Concierge Medicine Today, LLC., has no formal peer review and, therefore, cannot guarantee the validity of information and/or content contained on its web sites, podcasts, and/or all content it produces or releases. While some of our speakers may be licensed Physicians, they are not your Physician. Please consult your Physician related to anything you may have read or heard or have questions about or call 911. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not necessarily represent the views, thoughts, and/or opinions of Concierge Medicine Today, LLC. The "Concierge Medicine Today, LLC" ("CMT") name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service. Additional disclaimers, releases, terms of use and conditions apply also to the production and/or use of this content, https://conciergemedicinetoday.org/tcpp/.