The Entrepreneurial MD

Preventing physician burnout - is there a secret recipe? Part 1

2012-05-23T21:12:55Z

Physician burnout may be preventable by applying what we know from neuroscience.

Is it time to pull the plug on your physician business marketing activity?

2012-05-11T15:56:00Z

Physician marketing activities need regular critical evaluation for their effectiveness. The Entrepreneurial MD needs your feedback!

This CEO enables physician collaboration via your "virtual back office line"

2012-05-08T17:00:38Z

How many steps does it take you to reach your referring physician colleague to give feedback regarding your recent consultation with his or her patient? Do you have to dictate a letter that must get into the hands of the physician? Must you have your staff get him or her on the phone?

What is involved in finding an expert who can quickly answer your pressing clinical question while the patient is still in your office? How do you find that expert, and then actually reach him or her?

And, most importantly, how much productive time are these activities costing you each week or a month, as a result of this effort?

Jeff Tangney is out to transform your experience and return hours of time to you, using the connective power of technology.

As a co-founder of Epocrates, he saw firsthand what having "power in your pocket" looks like - instantly available information that a physician can look up in a moment, to ensure the best care.

This got him wondering about the other transformative powers of mobile technology.

What if you were able to access the intelligence and years of experience of a group of physicians, with a few taps on your mobile?

How would physicians be able to use mobile technology to collaborate? And what was needed to rapidly connect with a referring physician or specialist to who you'd like to refer a patient, or get a quick curbside consultation?

To respond to this perceived need, Jeff Tangney founded Doximity, one of the fastest growing physician networks. Not only is the company thriving, but Jeff has a vision of how networks like his can help sustain the professional freedom that we physicians have come to appreciate and value as necessary to provide the best patient care possible, despite the increasing "corporatization" of medical practice.

Listen to my 20-minute conversation with Jeff and then please add your comments here. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Could You Turn Your Medical Knowledge to Copywriting?

2012-05-04T14:44:39Z

Medical copywriting is a medical communication skill that offers yet another non-clinical career option

Use the power of the visual to communicate with your audience

2012-04-26T01:22:50Z

I get sent a lot of content, aimed at physicians, to potentially post on The Entrepreneurial MD Blog and most of it is irrelevant or way too cheesy for the likes of you, dear reader. Once in a while however, something piques my interest as it is thoughtful or provocative.

This time it's an "infographic" (contemporary lingo for cool images that are designed to convey information quickly) that caught my eye.

The information is largely "duh" for most of my physician readers (although I found some of it interesting) but I offer it to you as a way to stimulate your thinking about the ways in which you could present complicated information to your colleagues, patients or clients.

I imagine it takes someone with an artistic sensibility to create the actual image - but it's nothing that can't be found as a design on guru.com or elance.com -- the last time I used one of these services, I paid $50 to a smart fellow in India to create something a US national might have charged 4 or 5 times as much for.

Let's see what you think of it.

[Created by: Medical Billing and Coding Certification - with thanks for your willingness to share]

How about that "doctors are overpaid" bit? Provocative!

Isn't it a more fun way to tell a story and make a point?

What compelling idea do you want your next infographic to convey?

Networking your way efficiently to a new non-clinical position

2012-04-13T15:04:51Z

I recently received this communication via my other website (Women Leaving Medicine) and thought it pointed enough of a question and commentary that I decided to share a portion of it and my response with you.

Successful book writing secrets for aspiring physician writers

2012-03-12T19:19:37Z

I confess that I have long fantasized about writing a book, along with learning Italian and learning to play the piano, or reconnecting with my adolescent guitar-playing self ... for now the fantasies have to remain just that. I guess this blog is my creative outlet for the near future!

But for those of you for whom writing a book is a pressing or deeply engaging matter, the news is good. Help is at hand.

My "Insights from the Professionals" conversation today is with Lisa Tener, a book writing coach, published author, blogger and speaker who is passionate about helping aspiring authors get their message out by helping them write a book and get published.

Not only does she have her own company, but she also serves on the faculty of the Harvard Medical School continuing education course of writing and publishing books.

Lisa is a whiz at what she does - she has helped several of my clients figure out how to express themselves and their expertise or ideas through the written word, and we talk about some of her book-writing success strategies, such as:

... how to overcome those blocks to getting started
... how to know if you really have a book in you
... how to get a first draft done is as little as 8 weeks
... and much more!

Lisa is about to launch yet another of her excellent Bring Your Book to Life programs ... designed to walk you through the process of getting your first draft written by the end of the program. It is the one that several of my clients have participated in and used to get their books written and comes highly recommended by them.

Note: She has generously offered a 40% discount for my readers for the class if using the paid in full option, using the coupon code "SAVE40". This is only available until 3/20/2012 so act quickly if you want a considerable savings.

Listen to my conversation with Lisa and then return here to add your comments or questions.

The general surgeon who sculpted a new physician career

2012-02-27T13:00:31Z

Kathy Stecco MD is the poster child for the physician career of the next generation.

A general surgeon who trained at Stanford in the hotbed of Silicon Valley innovation, Dr Stecco was soon lured into the world of medical device due diligence, biotechnology startups and venture capital.

Encouraged and aided by remarkable mentors, Dr Tom Fogarty of Fogarty catheter fame, and entrepreneur and venture capitalist Mir Imran, she transitioned into co-founding four medical device startup companies, with plans for more in the near future.

Talk about the patchwork physician career of the future!

She maintains a small concierge-style medical practice to "keep her hand in", while consulting, maintaining her role as an entrepreneurial physician and business owner, and staying sane through her passion for mixed martial arts. Additionally she spends part of the year traveling while supervising global clinical trials.

Listen to my interview with this successful physician entrepreneur and then return to share your thoughts and comments.

And if you would like to be in touch with Dr Stecco to learn more, her email is kathysteccomd@gmail.com.

Are the physician careers we know today becoming endangered?

2012-02-24T16:52:59Z

As a child, the only physician I ever knew was our crusty opinionated and entirely trustworthy family doc. His physician career spanned almost five decades, in one unbroken line from his first days as a GP in solo practice until his retirement, which occurred way past the age at which most of us would like to stop working.

His was the typical physician career, representing continuity, professional satisfaction and a lifelong commitment to a largely stable community of patients.

The other physician I know and admire greatly for these same qualities is my husband, a urologist, who still loves what he does and wouldn't trade away any of his doctoring in practice for an alternative.

However, I am going to take a provocative stance and argue that these kinds of physician careers, and the men and women, who have created them are a dying breed.

Why do I say this? Online medical training programs, such as online nursing schools, have depreciated the profession, as the quality and exclusivity are compromised

Technology has changed the way we work and interact, permitting unprecedented mobility, flexibility and instant access
Healthcare organizations, and the healthcare industry in general, are undergoing sea changes that are upsetting the traditional medical practice model and introducing enormous uncertainty
The younger generations have come to expect more out of their careers - more gratification, more freedom, more flexibility, more time off, more control over their schedules
They are also less tolerant - of authority, of expectations of self-sacrifice, of work that doesn't give them a sense of purpose, of situations that lack choice and options
Even those of us who are boomers are looking for alternatives - seeking more professional fulfillment, greater meaning for the years of work that remain, relief from the "grind", less stress OR perhaps greater reward for the stress that is innate in being a physician.

How then should you view your physician career?

The signs are pointing to a path that is far from linear. Instead, the physician career of the future is more likely to be comprised of a patchwork of opportunities, some sequential, others simultaneous, in which you will be offered the chance to exercise a wide range of skills:

clinical
administrative
leadership and managerial
analytic
research-oriented
communication, both written and verbal
technological
inventive and innovative
entrepreneurial
consultative

Each is a distinctive skill set that you might want to begin honing.

Does this prediction make you anxious? Or does this thrill you?

I find it rich with creative potential!

A forthcoming attraction in a couple of days -- my "Conversations with Trailblazers" podcast interview with a general surgeon who has truly sculpted a physician career of the future...

Your physician business website needs simple SEO strategies

2012-02-10T20:19:13Z

Physician business websites can benefit from simple SEO tips to improve their "findability" by the search engines