In today's podcast, Ron Barshop explains how to save healthcare, satisfy patients, and fix physician burnout.

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What is DPC?

Direct Primary Care is a subscription-based program for connecting patients with physicians. It allows for immediate and continuous access to care. Most people might know it as concierge or “VIP” care. However, it has evolved to include a more grass-roots, scalable method for accessing care.

It enables doctors to provide medical coverage to a panel of 600 to 800 patients. And, instead of offering a six-to-eight-minute interaction with patients, DPC physicians spend 30 minutes or more with them during face-to-face visits. With DPC, coding and billing are no longer a concern. 

Support for Independent Practitioners

Ron described four companies that support physicians in developing their DPC practices that have been featured on the Primary Care Cures Podcast. They are helping independent doctors start their own practices wherever they live.

1. Episode 165 – Chris Habig, Freedom Healthworks. Doctors don't need to become entrepreneurs overnight. The company handles money, marketing, and all the backend work, and hiring is very much turnkey.
   
   
2. Episode 21 and Episode 42 – Dr. Josh and Kirk Umbehr, Atlas MD. More than half of the independent DPCs in the nation were started with Atlas MD. 
   
   
3. Episode 25 – Dr. Paul Thomas, Plum Health.  Paul Thomas established his own practice right after finishing his residency. He will shortly be launching his third practice. He explains how to launch swiftly using social media, and introduces other tools to help DPC start-ups.
   
   
4. Episode 59 – Dr. Brian Forrest, Access Healthcare Direct. He has helped launch more than a hundred distinct DPCs.

Summary

Physicians who feel burned out should look into direct payment models. There is consulting support for starting up an independent practice.  And there are large companies that will add you to their DPC networks. You can leam more about this growing phenomenon by listening to the Primary Care Cures Podcast. A list of all of the episodes can be found here: primarycarecures.com/podcast-episodes/

NOTE: Look below for a transcript of today's episode.

EXCLUSIVE: Get a daily dose of inspiration, information, news, training opportunities, and amusing stories by CLICKING HERE.

Links for Today's Episode:

• Ron Barshop's Website
• Primary Care Cures Podcast
• Achieve Beautiful Balance as Medical Director and Concierge Physician – 234

Companies Mentioned in This Episode:

• Freedom Works – 165
• Atlas MD – 21
• Atlas MD – 22
• Plum Health – 25
• Access H/C Direct – 59
• First Stop Health – 130
• Proactive MD – 138
• Next Level Urgent Care – 126
• Nice Healthcare – 113
• Marathon Health – 164
• Medici – 118
• Medici – 58
• 98point6 – 62
• Crossover Health – 111
• Premise Health – 110
• Everside Health – 106

Value-based Care ACO Companies: 

• ChenMed – 64
• Village MD – 84
• Catalyst Healthcare 45
• Nextera Healthcare – 28
• Redirect Health – 121
• Redirect Health – 29
• Redirect Health 6

• NewScr!pt

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Today's PNC Podcast Transcript

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Transcription PNC Podcast Episode 256

How to Save Healthcare, Satisfy Patients, and Fix Physician Burnout

Interview with Ron Barshop>

John: Today's guest is not a physician, but honestly, it took me two or three of his podcast episodes to figure that out. So, why would that be? Well, because he so clearly describes the problems with our current system, most of which are driving physicians out of the system that I thought he had to be a physician. But no, he's not. He's awesome. He has a great podcast, he's written books. And the thing is he goes a step further. He offers solutions. And the solutions he describes if implemented, I think will fix healthcare as he claims. So, we're going to hear about that. With that, let me introduce Ron Barhop. Thanks for coming.

Ron Barhop: Thank you for inviting me. I'm looking forward to this.

John: Yeah, there's so much I'm trying to understand what you're talking about on your podcast and in your books. But before we get into that, why don't we just have you tell us a little bit about your background education and how you started to get this interest in direct contracted primary care?

Ron Barhop: Well, when I was an angel investor and I had an angel network, a gentleman came to me with a really interesting healthcare company, but it wasn't really fundable by early stage. But he and I became partners later in a business that helped physical medicine find its way into the exam rooms of primary care physicians and helped them add ancillary income.

He and I split up and he formed an allergy company and I formed an allergy testing and treatment C company. And it would turn out to be, I thought the solution for primary care to cure it, because it was broken clearly, was ancillary income. 15 years ago, is when I started the primary care supplement income company. But I started a podcast four years ago to "Sherlock" the crime scene. And the crime scene is "Why are we between Slovenia and Costa Rica in our outcomes with care nations?" And that's basically the GDP of Milwaukee.

John: Right.

Ron Barhop: And we're spending almost double Switzerland, our second closest competitor in spent. And then another question was "How come if the Fed is right, 51% of people are making under $20 an hour and 80% of workers are making under $30 an hour?" We have this backbone of hourly workers. And so, we have this Wealthcare-Poorcare system for them versus the others.

Basically, we have unfunctional uninsured about half of all workers. They have these high deductible plans they can't even use. They don't have enough money in the bank to access it. And then over half the PCPs are burned out. So, I've got this 51% under $20 an hour, 50% of doctors are unhappy in their jobs and they're supposed to be taking care of my health and my kids' health and my family's health. And I knew that if we had a cure for primary care, then we could cure overall healthcare because that's sort of the mouth of the river, if you will.

John: I guess I would just say, can you give us just kind of an overview of the best situation for what is DPC and what's the ideal situation for that way of providing care?

Ron Barhop: Well, most people might know it as concierge or VIP care, but it's not that anymore. It's scaling and there's sort of two flavors of direct primary care that I discovered on my show. Again, I was just like Sherlock Holmes, just trying to get my magnifying glass out and figure out what's the solution. And initially, I got what I call the Mount Everest, or maybe I should say the Mount Rushmore of the four DPC doctors that are the thought leaders on my show.

I thought that was the answer as independent mom and pop Kool-Aid stands that are taking care of locals. And that doesn't solve the jumbo employer problem, which is a whole different flavor of DPC that is cropped up as private equity's been funding at the last really five to 10 years. And so, I suddenly discovered, "Wait a minute, you can have a jumbo solution and a mini solution all in the same model."

Just to take a step back, DPC - Direct Primary Care is a subscription base monthly payment per member per month. And what it allows for is an employer to access immediate care, but also let's take it from the doctor's perspective, because that's your listener. From a doctor's perspective, their panel is now 600 to 800 as opposed to triple or no quadruple that. It allows them to have instead of a six-to-eight-minute interaction with half that time typing. Now they can toss the EHR Bible out the window and not have to code and not have to bill, which is a massive regime of pre-authorizations and all the headaches that every listener knows. And it allows them to have a longer visit with a member. And the member now gets 30 minutes, 45 minutes on a second or third interview. They get an hour on the first exam, but more importantly, they have access with virtual care. So, they have an app that allows them to text synchronously tight with the doc at the same time or talk by chat or video.

Telehealth got this big boom in the pandemic to 40% utilization jump and DPCs had it all along. It's been part of it since 1998. It allows the physician to now have their calling come back into their life again, why they chose the calling. So, it's an amazing thing. This scaling has allowed an employer that has people in three or five or 10 states or three or five, 10 metros, or even in foreign countries to now have access to a primary care physician, which is really important for chronic care because that's 80% to 95% of their cost. And now they can get those folks in front of a primary care physician and head off in the past. So, they're not using that expensive downstream utilization of hospitals and ER and urgent care that are so costly and too late, frankly, for the chronic patient that needs lots of love and lots of attention now.

John: I sense that the devils in the details, to some extent. It's just hard to get my mind around "Okay, I'm going, I'm using an EMR. I'm working with insurance companies. Of course, I'm in my staff, I have to staff up like three or four employees just to handle the insurance and the rebuilding and so on and so forth." So, how is it that works where you're not having to code?

Ron Barhop: The problem with American healthcare that's unique and special about us, we're going to call it special in the short best sense of the word, is that we don't have access to inexpensive, immediately accessible primary care in America. And most primary care physicians would die to have three or four employees doing their billing and coding. But if you do the math, it's closer to eight or nine administrative types.

John: Okay.

Ron Barhop: These medical assistants aren't even giving to touch the patient. They're dealing with pre-ops and they're dealing with check in, putting stuff into a computer. They're dealing with the billing collecting, all of that regime. And when you have DPC, it's a monthly subscription. You're getting anywhere as low as 20 with one company as high as 120 or 150 depending on the services the employer wants. Now increasingly primary care is stretching like a rubber band to include behavioral health because that's what employers need. They need their people healthy and back at work. And generally, it's free. The ROI for DPC is one out of one year one, and it's as high as three or four on one year, two or three or four because of the downstream utilization that drops.

And the exciting thing about it is you only need maybe one assistant at the front to check people in. You're not coding anymore and you're not billing because there's no insurance company involved. So, we get these bloated expensive middles like PBMs out of the picture. We get these bloated insurance companies. 90% of the profits for insurance companies, core units have been federal. They're not seeing private employers anymore because they've fled long ago because they know that the incentives are maligned.

So, if you're a DPC doc and you're with a large scalable firm, they do all the backend for you. And there's three people that I'll introduce to this show that are helping independent doctors that want to start their own practice wherever they live, meet the patients, wherever they are. Again, as I said, there are two flavors. I'll try to carefully parse those out as we have this talk today.

John: I understand that there are, and I've heard either on your podcast or others, let's say talking to the really small company physician practice, and they just opt out of the whole system. They somehow have a tool or mechanism to receive the monthly payment. They have to deal with the high-cost items. I don't know if that's through reinsurance or some other method for the patients, not for them obviously. And then there's the other iterations that I think that you're going to get into, but if I was just finishing residency or early in my career decided to do this, how would I actually get started by doing it on my own or other companies I can reach out to, to help me?

Ron Barhop: Yes. I'll give you the names of three people that are helping people do exactly that. I just interviewed on my show number 165 Chris Habig, Freedom Healthworks. He basically does finances, does the marketing, does all the backend, does the hiring pretty much turnkey because doctors don't need to become entrepreneurs overnight when you have somebody like Chris that helps you get started.

There's another company. Dr. Josh and Kirk Umbehr with Atlas MD have launched over half of all the DPCs that are independent in the country today. That's episodes 21 and 42. And Josh the doctor, and Kirk the brother, are helping them get started in the practice with all the millions of questions and FAQs they've got to get it launched immediately.

I had another guest who is part of my Mount Rushmore, Paul Thomas. Dr. Paul Thomas has Plum Health and he's episode 25. He consults now with doctors that need to get started. And he came straight out of medical school, straight out of his residency and started his own practice and is now opening his third practice soon, where he lives. So, he will tell you how to rapidly start with social media and using all the obvious tools that are clear to a guy who's just getting started, how to launch quickly.

And then there's a gentleman named Dr. Brian Forrest, Access Healthcare, which is show 59. And he has launched probably over a hundred different DPC. And all of these gentlemen that I'm talking about have basically a hundred percent success. There are very few fallouts when you go there, if you want to go independent. If you want to go on a scalable, we'll talk about those a little bit later, but if you want to go scalable and go to work for somebody, these are the happiest doctors in America. They don't go to a convention and drink a lot of wine. They drink a lot of fresh water and they're happy. They're joyful because they don't have the burnout of the regime anymore of the insurance companies lording over them like a hot sweater in July.

John: All right. I'm definitely going to put those in the show notes. I'll make sure to put those podcast episodes in the show notes and the names and so forth. That's very helpful. I guess I wanted to comment too, as you're talking about this, I look at it from the perspective of the physicians being unhappy, but the other half of the equation is the patients are miserable because like you said earlier spending five minutes with a patient, spending 10 minutes documenting and trying to solve a problem. And now you're having them come back over and over, because you really only have time for one problem. You're not doing a comprehensive visit. Again, my audience, we kind of focus on the physician's side of this, but of course we all know that it's just making the patients as miserable as we are. So, if we can break that pattern, then this is going to be fantastic.

Ron Barhop: Well, the jumbo employers are using this to get free healthcare. So, when you take away the friction of finance, the friction of time, the friction of "Do I even have a doctor that cares about me or has information on me? I have to start all over again" goes away when you deal with these nationally scalable models that are now growing in all 50 states. Also, it's good to measure. If you're going to go work for one of those, what is their turnover with the employers? Most of them have 98% to 99% retention with their client, which is the employer who's paying the bill on that per monthly basis I was telling you about. And if you're measuring metrics, and doctors love metrics, what does that turnover and what is the employee satisfaction?

And there's two ways you can parse that out also. You can look at the NPS, the net promoter scores of most of these firms, and they're in the high 80s and low 90s. And some of them are in the high 90s. That means the patient is incredibly happy. And some of them will publish their Google ratings. I don't know why they don't, because that's a big question mark. For me, why wouldn't you be proud? But many of them have them in the mid four's, tons of fives and a few fours and obvious one or two. But Google ratings will tell you that the ultimate consumer, the patient is very happy. So, you don't have to guess when you go to work for these companies and you can look at the Glassdoor ratings. But Glassdoor is kind of like Twitter. If Elon Musk is finding out, it can be loaded with fake reviews in there.

I've seen companies that are at a two or a three instead of a five. And suddenly employees start jumping in, that are, I think, fake employees that are saying how wonderful it is to work there when all the rest previously were saying the truth of what it is like to work there. So, if you look at the Glassdoor of a hospital, a typical big system, it's not going to be very pretty. But if you look at the Glassdoor of a lot of these PCPs that are now getting, and by the way, most of these companies I'm about to talk about are all run by doctors. So that's a plus, right? But they're much, much higher rated, and I don't think they need to fake anything in there because the customer, the consumer, the member is genuinely happy.

John: No, that's the ultimate test, I think. Especially if all the stakeholders are really doing well and benefiting from it. Let's see, we're going to talk a little bit more about some of those businesses or the corporate side of things. To me, it sounds like that's kind of where this came from to some extent, because the big employers just decided, "Look, we're tired of number one, wasting our money. Number two, the insurance company is just billing, charging us to manage this thing and it's ridiculous." And so, they just took it over and started hiring doctors and putting clinics together, and that kind of thing, I imagine.

Ron Barhop: I'll talk about the small guys first that are regional and growing and maybe they'll be acquired by some of the larger ones, but we're talking about 20 million members. We're talking about 20,000 PCPs. And it's not just broad scope PCPs, although that's best, if you're a family doctor or DO or an internist and you have lots of scope in your practice. That's better than a gerontologist or a pediatrician, but there's plenty of those folks in this model too. But the gerontologists are getting snapped up by the Medicare advantage capitated plans. And I'll talk about those too, if you'd like, but I've had these guests on my show. Do you want me to just run through the list? Because it's about 10 or 15 companies.

John: Yeah, sure.

Ron Barhop: Okay. Small to bigs, First Stop Health. You'll hear the Patrick Spain interview on episode 130. Proactive, John Collier episode 138. Dr. Juliet Breeze is expanding big time in Texas. Next Level Urgent Care, that's episode 126. Nice Healthcare. I joked around. I can't believe that a name was still available a few years ago, but Nice Healthcare is Thompson Aderinkomi. He is the first guy I'm going to mention that's not a doctor. That's episode 113.

And now we're getting into the bigger voice here and it is the Dr. Jeff Wells with Marathon Health, episode 164 was just on our show. They're the most transparent I was able to find in terms of just getting all the metrics if you're a doctor and you want to go work there. But it's all on my show if you want to save the time.

Dr. Clinton Phillips, episode 118 and 58 with Medici healthcare is one of the largest virtual primary cares. But now that everybody's jumping in, basically Teledoc jumped in a few months ago. They have 11 fortune one hundreds. Medici has a third of the fortune one hundreds.

Brad Younggren with 98point6, episode 62. 98point6 is helping Walmart to do the virtual. And then Scott Shreeve with Crossover. It'd be hard to name a Silicon Valley big that's not using them, but that's episode 111. And so, Crossover is in all the Amazon fulfillment centers and they're expanding in LinkedIn and into it. The list goes on and on. Facebook.

Dr. Jami Doucette with Premise Health is the largest. They have 3 million members and that's episode 110. Premise Health, again, helps hundreds of employees, almost 800 employers across the country that are jumbos. And the one that I found first was Everside. Dr. Gaurov Dayal is their president. And Everside, not only helped the state of New Jersey save billions between primary care and pharmaceutical spend, which is the biggest amount ever by a state or county or anything. We had Chris Deacon on our show. Chris was the state treasurer. She was in charge of the program for that in pensions back before she left.

But Everside also helps the state of Colorado and big school districts all over the country. So, they're the second largest, probably over a million members. These are companies that I would probably look to. And I have not had on my show yet one medical, but they're a public company that does, with the purchase of IRA health, both the Medicare population and the employer population.Cityblock, I haven't had on my show yet, but they're doing a lot in the Northeast. Famhealth is a feminine female only business consumer. And then Firefly. There are a ton of them that are going after either employers or members directly that are worthy of looking at with this screen, I was giving you from a doctor's perspective.

John: With these companies, from the perspective of the physician, are they contracting with them? Are they employed by them? What's that relationship between the physician and their providing that service to the employers?

Ron Barhop: Yeah, they work for Crossover, get their paycheck from Premise. They get their benefits from Everside. They're not going out on their own. If you want to go out on your own, I would talk to those first four guests that can help you launch. But if you want to go, and it's not more stable, it's just different. But most of them will still give you a panel. You'll have your members that are coming to you, physically, because they're spread out all over the country. So, if you Google onsite or near site clinics, a lot of these companies will pop up. And they're either in the headquarters or near major employment manufacturing, or they're nearby. They're in the neighborhoods where the people live.

John: It's a little overwhelming, although it's been kind of bubbling in the background for a long time, it sounds like. And you have mentioned on the podcast that they've been very successful. Like you said, the dollars look good. The physicians are happy. The patients remain with the physicians, the old model of the primary care doing most of the initial management and being that, not just really a gatekeeper, but really that one-on-one physician and managing things. It seems to be almost Nirvana. So, what have we missed now? Are there some other types of companies that are doing this, that we haven't discussed so far?

Ron Barhop: Well, it's an ecosystem. Again, if you're helping an employer, they need access to wholesale pharmacy. A lot of them are contracting either direct with a pharmacy, sometimes the gross is in that town, and they're negotiating rock bottom prices, or there are wholesale mail order firms. I had ScriptCo on the show, their average fill is 4 cents per pill. You don't need a PBM if you got 4 cents per pill. So, they're in 47 states now. I just had Zach Zeller back on the show. You'll see him pop up in last week's episode. And it's not just pharmacy. It's got to be, how do you contract with surgery, labor and delivery being the biggest one?

Well, the Surgery Center of Oklahoma was the OG, the original gangster that started back in 1993. And there's now 60 independent free market surgery centers that are owned by surgeons and doctors that are in pretty much every state. So, if you're willing to travel just a little bit, surgery is 60% to 80% less. And then there's 1,700 independent imaging centers with green imaging. Kristen Dickerson was on one of our shows. And those imaging centers are, again, 20% to 40% of the cost of imaging centers owned by the bigs that had these facility fees and these outrageous prices built into a simple X-ray or MRI or ultrasound. And furthermore, it's not just pharmacy, it's not just surgery, but you've got to access sometimes a hospital. You got to do a deal, sometimes you just got to go there. As much as we don't want them to, and they don't need to, hospitals are going to be contracted within those cities as well, independently through the third-party administrator.

Now you mentioned stop-loss. On a contractor basis with jumbos, they have stop-loss built into these plans by the plan designer, the benefit designer. But if you're independent and you're going to find these docs on your own, in your own town, in your neighborhood, you will buy a company called Sedera Health or Zion Health. And they have these, I guess, they're sort of like stop-loss, but they are low deduct. They can't call them insurance because they're religious plans, but they are allowing people to take care of that scary cancer car accident or cardio incident that could bankrupt them. And those companies pick that up.

And then there's another company that just came into the market from Austin that's called Crowd Health. And I had Andy Schoonover on my show. It's kind of the same idea, but it's just crowdsourced funding of your large healthcare expenses.

I've had it for four years. I had Sedera for four years. I had Redirect Health handle my primary care. Anywhere I want to go, I would show QR code and I would get out no cash. I'd just pay them a monthly fee to access. And it's not their doctors. It's any doctor I want to use. Any labs free, any physical medicine free as part of my monthly. But now Redirect Health is now offering a stop-loss, if you will, with $2,000 deductible in any hospital spend. So, they haven't built into their model too. So now I'm using them fully, not some of these other religious.

John: This is something that I think my listeners would like to dig into a lot more because it's an option if they're really feeling frustrated and burned out. You have a book called "Healthcare is Fixed." Is that out? Is that available for pre-order? Because it goes into these details from what I know. I've not seen the book. So, tell us about that.

Ron Barhop: I wrote it in 2019. I recorded it right after that and I've been sitting on it. And John, I don't know why. I don't know what I'm afraid of. I hope to pick with Healthcare is Fixed and you can go to healthcareisfixed.com, but I hope to go pick a company every year and identify what I think are the best. So, I'm going to write another book about hopefully the new ecosystem in Alaska, which is doing amazing things at half the price in primary care for the Alaskan native population.

I hope to write a book about RosenCare, but I think Mr. Rosen and his daughter or granddaughter are going to write a book. But RosenCare again, for less than half the cost, is delivering healthcare so much so that they have no debt on 6,000 room hotel resorts around our Orlando convention center. And they're funding a school district that used to be crime ridden and drug ridden. Now they're paying for all the college for any student that graduates high school. Community college, vocational school, full boat, PhD level college. Medical school, whatever they want to go to. And some of the doctors that started out as students there 20 years ago are now serving their population of their employees.

John: Nice.

Ron Barhop: There's amazing companies out there doing incredible things that are literally eliminating crime in neighborhoods. There are no gangs in this school district and they just adopted a bigger one. The best way to measure is who wins in this model? And if the employers are winning, because they now have a ROI of one on one or two on one or three on one. And if the consumer, we don't call them patients in this world, we call them members. But if the consumer's winning, if the doctors and nurses are winning, they have low turnover rates. If the shareholders of those companies are all winning, if the communities are winning, like the Orlando community has gotten rid of crime and these giant school districts, if costs are dropping 20% to 60%, and if outcomes are rising measurably, we don't have a triple aim problem or quadruple aim problem anymore. We have an octupole aim and then we're accomplishing them all eight. Those are passe to talk about quadruple aim. You can have three out of four, but not all four. No, that doesn't work anymore. We have direct contracting with a large ecosystem with primary care as the foundation, John, is the answer.

John: Well, I could get behind that 100% for sure. For my listeners. This is going to be overwhelming. So, you want to go to primarycarecareers.com because you can find out about the podcast and start listing the episodes. And then you can go to healthcareisfixed.com where actually there's a lot of information that you've described. And that book when it's available is going to be there for us. So, we'll look for that. Any other big points, as we want to get to before I start to wrap up our interview here? Did we hit the high points?

Ron Barhop: Yeah. The system is clearly broken. We don't need to talk about that. You do a lot of that on your show. But there are happy doctors out there that have opted out. And this is the most important point that there is a downside. You have to opt out of anything federal. You can't no longer take Medicare, Medicaid. You can't take TRICARE defense health. So, you can't go moonlight at the VA on the weekends and you can't be a medical director if you will, for a company that takes Medicare Medicaid. So, you have to step out and that's again, a glitch in the law that allows the bigs to sort of lord over this model. But once you opt out, it doesn't mean you can't opt in again, but you just no longer are participating in things.

And if you think about it, it is kind of logical. CMS does not want to write a check to Dr X and then write her another check. So, you get another check from her employer at Eversite or Premise or Medici. It makes sense a little bit, but the opt out is there's no reason folks shouldn't be able to consult on the weekends and help out other folks that are in need with this giant shortage that's looming.

John: Maybe at some point they'll figure out how to make that work. So, what's the best way for listeners to find you? Just one of those two that I mentioned?

Ron Barhop: Yeah. You and I found each other on LinkedIn and I'm easy to get to and I am happy to respond and talk to anybody and send them in the right direction. But if they listen to these 12 or 15 shows, they'll get to meet the CEOs that are making the changes. They'll get to talk to or hear the metrics of what drives these models. And they'll start hearing the same thing over and over again, which is, this is really healthcare fixed. This is really primary care cured. And that's why I named the show "Primary Care Cures." And that's why I named the book "Healthcare is Fixed."

John: If we can just get that to be adopted across the board, it'll be in great shape.

Ron Barhop: It's going to grow no matter what happens, it's an unstoppable movement.

John: All right. Now is the time to jump on the bandwagon. This has been very interesting, Ron. I really appreciate you coming and explaining this to us and describing this. This has been really an eyeopener. Even though I promote a lot of the nonclinical careers for people that are burned out, I would definitely encourage you if you want to continue to practice, you definitely have to look at these direct payment models and DPC and some of these companies that are supporting this. It's fantastic. All right, with that, I guess it's time to say goodbye. Thanks Ron. Bye.

Ron Barhop: Thanks John for inviting me. I appreciate it.

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The post How to Save Healthcare, Satisfy Patients, and Fix Physician Burnout – 256 appeared first on NonClinical Physicians.

In this week's PNC Podcast episode, Dr. Samantha Nazareth describes how to find a medical advisor/director position with a healthcare technology company.

Dr. Nazareth is a gastroenterologist and Chief Medical Officer of a data privacy company. She is an advisor to multiple startups and venture capital funds locally and internationally. Since January 2019, she has been a member of the medical advisory board for Women's Health Magazine. And she has been a long time advocate for teaching digital literacy to all healthcare professionals.

She completed her medical degree at Brown University, and her internal medicine training at New York-Presbyterian Hospital – Cornell. Then she pursued fellowships in Transplant Hepatology and Gastroenterology at New York-Presbyterian Hospital – Columbia.

Our Sponsor

We're proud to have the University of Tennessee Physician Executive MBA Program, offered by the Haslam College of Business, as the sponsor of this podcast.

The UT PEMBA is the longest-running, and most highly respected physician-only MBA in the country, with over 650 graduates. And, unlike other programs, which typically run 1 – 1/2 to 2 years, this program only takes a year to complete. Recently, Economist Magazine ranked the business school #1 in the world for the Most Relevant Executive MBA.

While in the program, you'll participate in a company project, thereby contributing to your organization. As a result, the University of Tennessee PEMBA students bring exceptional value to their organizations.

Graduates have taken leadership positions at major healthcare organizations. And they've become entrepreneurs and business owners.

By joining the University of Tennessee physician executive MBA, you will develop the business and management skills needed to find a career that you really love. To find out more, contact Dr. Kate Atchley’s office by calling (865) 974-6526 or go to nonclinicalphysicians.com/physicianmba.

Venturing Into Healthcare Technology

Samantha has been interested in cutting edge healthcare technology even as she was completing her fellowships. She still practices gastroenterology part-time, but she is increasingly drawn to her roles in technology start-ups. Her journey began with networking. She knew a lot of physicians that were in the tech space and reached out to them. 

We are students at heart. We are very good students, so just stay curious. – Dr. Samantha Nazareth

Eventually, she was drawn to the realm of emerging technology, or health technologies that are not fully adopted yet. Examples include 3D printing, virtual reality, augmented reality, and genomics. 

How to Balance Different Endeavors

Balancing work in the clinical and technology worlds can be a challenge. For Dr. Nazareth, part-time clinical activities are the anchor and the tech activities generally work around that. It can be challenging, but you can make it work, however. Even if you're a full-time clinician, you can start by simply doing the tech work during your off-hours.

A healthcare technology business is fast-paced, however, especially an early-stage start-up. Think early mornings, late nights, and weekends. But it is also very exciting.

Teaching Other Physicians

Sam and I will be presenting at the Physician Helping Physicians 2020 NEXT Intensive Series: In-depth information on your NEXT options virtual conference September 4 – 9, 2020. During this conference, you will hear from 30 different physicians over 6 days about their nonclinical careers and side jobs. The conference is entirely virtual, and participants will be given access to the replays afterward. Sam is presenting on September 5, and I'm scheduled for September 7 and 9. She will talk more about technology careers, and I'll be discussing hospital management positions and jobs for physicians who have not completed a residency.

SUMMARY

Samantha recommends that those interested in joining a tech start-up to stay curious. It doesn't matter where you are in your career. As a physician, you have so much to offer. And with a little effort, you will be able to join the healthcare technology movement.

Download This Episode:

Right Click Here and “Save As” to download this podcast episode to your computer.

The Clinicians Career Cooperative Is Live

This is the ONLINE MARKETPLACE OF IDEAS for nonclinical and unconventional clinical jobs and side gigs. It's a FORUM where you can ask questions of experts in multiple careers. We have some of the most influential names in career transition to mentor members in the Cooperative, including Maiysha Clairborne, Michelle Mudge-Riley, Tom Davis, Marjorie Stiegler, Phil Boucher, Mike Woo-Ming, Jarret Patton, Jill Wener, Christopher Loo, Lisa Jenks, Mandy Armitage, and Brent Lacey

There is an automatic Free Trial. So, this is a no-risk opportunity to connect with experts and begin your career transition today.

To check it out, head to the Clinicians Career Cooperative.

Imagine what it will be like 6 to 12 months from now to start a fulfilling career, and leave behind the headaches, long hours, and constant threat of a lawsuit. Joining the Cooperative is the first step on that journey!

So head over to the Clinicians Career Cooperative.

The post How to Nurture a Career in Cutting-Edge Healthcare Technology – 156 appeared first on NonClinical Physicians.

This week on the PNC podcast, I discuss the experience that I've had with my wife, Kay, pursuing home care franchise ownership as a nonclinical career option.

Kay was a working as a respiratory therapist when her mother became chronically ill with lung disease. While working as her primary caregiver, she realized how difficult providing 24/7 care is. And she recognized a passion for helping others with similar challenges. We signed on with Home Helpers in 2009 and have been franchise owners ever since.

Our Sponsor

We're proud to have the University of Tennessee Physician Executive MBA Program, offered by the Haslam College of Business, as the sponsor of this podcast.

The UT PEMBA is the longest-running, and most highly respected physician-only MBA in the country, with over 650 graduates. And, unlike other programs, which typically run 1 – 1/2 to 2 years, this program only takes a year to complete. Recently, Economist Magazine ranked the business school #1 in the world for the Most Relevant Executive MBA.

While in the program, you'll participate in a company project, thereby contributing to your organization. As a result, University of Tennessee PEMBA students bring exceptional value to their organizations.

Graduates have taken leadership positions at major healthcare organizations. And they've become entrepreneurs and business owners.

By joining the University of Tennessee physician executive MBA, you will develop the business and management skills needed to advance your career. To find out more, contact Dr. Kate Atchley’s office by calling (865) 974-6526 or go to vitalpe.net/physicianmba.

Franchise Ownership

When Kay and I became interested in purchasing a franchise, we visited the franchisor in Cincinnati, Ohio. There, we:

• learned how the company was founded and how a franchise works,
• met other potential franchise buyers,
• reviewed the fees and other upfront costs, and
• discovered the obligations of a franchise owner.

Once we were convinced this was a viable business, we also:

• Engaged our attorney to go through the Franchise Disclosure Document (the legal document that the Federal Trade Commission requires franchisors provide to their potential franchisees prior to selling a franchise to them);
• Asked our accountant to create financial projections, based on assumed expenses and projected growth, to predict the likelihood of our success.

We also had to jump one more unanticipated hurdle. Since the State of Illinois had just implemented a licensing requirement for Home Services Agencies, we spent several months preparing and applying for our license. My experiences with hospital and nursing home licensing as chief medial officer were helpful during this phase.

Franchise ownership is entrepreneurial. But there is a tradeoff. The additional safety and speed provided by a franchise's proven success come at the cost of the franchise fee, royalties and policies and procedures that must be followed. But Kay and I agree that the benefits have far outweighed the costs.

The post The Exciting Life of the Home Care Franchise Owner – 129 appeared first on NonClinical Physicians.

On this week’s episode of the PNC podcast, Paul Esselman returns to the show to discuss new leadership roles for the restless physician executive.

Paul is the President and Managing Director of Cejka Search, a health care executive search firm that focuses on leadership positions. He describes how the spectrum of leadership roles for physicians has expanded beyond the Chief Medical Officer and Medical Director roles of the past. Physician leaders must now be multifaceted, bridging ambulatory, inpatient, post-acute and long-term care.

Our Sponsor

We're proud to have the University of Tennessee Physician Executive MBA Program, offered by the Haslam College of Business, as the sponsor of this podcast.

The UT PEMBA is the longest-running, and most highly respected physician-only MBA in the country, with over 650 graduates. And, unlike other programs, which typically run 1 – 1/2 to 2 years, this program only takes a year to complete. Recently, Economist Magazine ranked the business school #1 in the world for the Most Relevant Executive MBA.

While in the program, you'll participate in a company project, thereby contributing to your organization. As a result, University of Tennessee PEMBA students bring exceptional value to their organizations.

Graduates have taken leadership positions at major healthcare organizations. And they've become entrepreneurs and business owners.

By joining the University of Tennessee physician executive MBA, you will develop the business and management skills needed to advance your career. To find out more, contact Dr. Kate Atchley’s office by calling (865) 974-6526 or go to vitalpe.net/physicianmba.

The Restless Physician Executive

In recent years, more physicians are stepping into roles such as Chief Integration Officer, Chief Transformation Officer and Chief Operating Officer. In this episode, Paul explains the responsibilities of these leadership positions.

Before seeking such a position, however, Paul encourages physicians to ask themselves, “Is this really what I want to do?” Some physicians find that they miss patient care, while others enjoy spending time with the board or out in their community.

Sharpen Your Skills

For aspiring physician leaders, Paul suggests that you first broaden your experience. Join committees and volunteer for leadership roles whenever possible. This will demonstrate your ability to accept additional responsibilities. And it is important for your resume to reflect growth over time.

Second, Paul advises that every leader needs to have at least one mentor. Experienced leaders in your field can ensure that you are on the right path to meet your goals.

Third, Paul says to focus on your interpersonal skills. Colleagues who can speak to your ability to collaborate will differentiate you from high-achieving physicians who have cracked a lot of eggs on their leadership journey.

Lastly, Paul recognizes that advanced degrees are important, but experience is equally important. Being able to explain the value of your education is more important than simply having the degree.

The post What Is New for the Restless Physician Executive? – 128 appeared first on NonClinical Physicians.

On this week’s episode of the PNC podcast, Dr. Nicole Rochester explains how she found fulfillment and freedom as an independent healthcare navigator.

Nicole is a board-certified pediatrician who spent her first four years after residency in primary-care before transitioning to hospital medicine. For about 13 years, she had what she thought was a perfect job: working in a community hospital while teaching medical students and pediatric residents.

Then, in October 2010, her father became quite ill. And she suddenly took on the responsibility of being a family caregiver and healthcare navigator.

Our Sponsor

We're proud to have the University of Tennessee Physician Executive MBA Program, offered by the Haslam College of Business, as the sponsor of this podcast.

The UT PEMBA is the longest-running, and most highly respected physician-only MBA in the country, with over 650 graduates. And, unlike other programs, which typically run 1 – 1/2 to 2 years, this program only takes a year to complete. Recently, Economist Magazine ranked the business school #1 in the world for the Most Relevant Executive MBA.

While in the program, you'll participate in a company project, thereby contributing to your organization. As a result, University of Tennessee PEMBA students bring exceptional value to their organizations.

Graduates have taken leadership positions at major healthcare organizations. And they've become entrepreneurs and business owners.

By joining the University of Tennessee physician executive MBA, you will develop the business and management skills needed to advance your career. To find out more, contact Dr. Kate Atchley’s office by calling (865) 974-6526 or go to vitalpe.net/physicianmba.

The Information Gap

When her father’s chronic conditions began deteriorating, Nicole thought being a physician would prepare her to serve as an advocate for his medical care. However, the task was much more difficult than she anticipated. It left her wondering how the other 44 million family caregivers, most of whom do not have a medical background, navigate this intimidating area.

Inspired to address the issue, Nicole started a website and a Facebook page, writing about her experiences caring for her father. She was attempting to bridge the healthcare information gap between patients and medical professionals. So, she began writing about:

• health insurance and how to appeal denials,
• finding a good primary care doctor, and
• communicating effectively with healthcare providers.

Shortly thereafter, Nicole launched her business and began offering consulting services as an independent patient advocate and healthcare navigator. In her role, her allegiance is entirely to her client, so her recommendations are unbiased.

The post How to Start an Innovative Career as a Healthcare Navigator – 127 appeared first on NonClinical Physicians.

In my quest to promote physician leadership, I've been looking for an awesome physician executive to interview. So, I invited Dr. Barbara Loeb to tell us about her career journey. 

Barbara is an accomplished physician executive and leader. Currently, she’s the Associate Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Population Health at Loyola Medicine.

But Barbara started her career as your typical general internist, running a small practice in the Chicago area. Well into her clinical career, she decided to pursue a career in hospital management. She took on leadership roles in the largest health system in the Chicago area, called Advocate Physician Partners, while still practicing as an independent physician in that system.

Then, she moved into the role of full-time VP for Medical Affairs at one of the newly aquired hospitals, where she developed many of the leadership and management skills she would later apply.

She left Advocate to became CMO for a hospital in the largest Catholic health system in the Chicago area, Presence Health. 

Later, she took on the job of chief medical officer for a new health plan in Illinois, called Land of Lincoln. I first met her there, when I represented my hospital on one of the committees she chaired for the plan. 

She left that position to become CMO for a four-hospital health system in Chicago that was part of Tenet Healthcare, a for-profit national health system. When the Chicago hospitals were later spun off, Barbara became part of Loyola Medicine in Chicago, where she now serves as Population Health Associate Chief Medical Officer.

During this wide-ranging interview, we address many issues that face the emerging physician executive. And Barbara provides specific advice about how to prepare yourself for a such a career.

Growing Up in Chicago

Barbara was born and raised near Chicago by a single mother. The family struggled to find medical care without insurance.

Watching her mother go through such challenges inspired Barbara to pursue a career in medicine. “I thought I could help by being a physician and treating patients in the area that I grew up in.”

After graduating from Northwestern University and completing the internal medicine residency program at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, Barbara became even more excited about becoming a physician and starting her own practice. “It was sort of a dream come true.”

Eager to Build a Rewarding Career as a Medical Science Liaison?

Here's the smart way to do it (even if you never completed a residency training program)…

I recently released my first formal course How to Secure a Career as a Medical Science Liaison.

It’s designed to take you from where you are in your career, to your first job as an MSL in the growing pharmaceutical industry.

I chose to focus on this career because it's open to both licensed and unlicensed physicians.

The course is now open. It will be closed for enrollment soon. And the current price is the LOWEST price at which it will ever be offered.

To learn more, go to vitalpe.net/mslcourse.

Taking Initiative

Barbara was happy working in her practice taking care of patients for several years. But she gradually became interested in making a bigger difference in health care. Medicine was changing a lot, and she wanted to take a leadership role.

She decided to differentiate herself from other physicians by continuing her education, eventually completing her MBA. And she volunteered to serve on various hospital and health system committees to improve her understanding of organizational and leadership concepts.

Barbara accumulated diverse experience and knowledge beyond her clinical craft. “I moved through so many different things while I was an independent physician, and I felt it helped get me ready to do something further.”

Also, she found mentors who encouraged and supported her efforts to be an awesome physician leader. And these mentors supported her desire to focus on quality and outcomes, not the bottom line.

Our Corporate Sponsor

We're proud to have the University of Tennessee Physician Executive MBA Program, offered by the Haslam College of Business, as the sponsor of this podcast.

The UT PEMBA is the longest running, and most highly respected physician-only MBA in the country, with over 650 graduates. Unlike other programs, which typically run 1 – 1/2 to 2 years, this program only takes a year to complete. And Economist Magazine recently ranked the business school #1 in the world for the Most Relevant Executive MBA.

University of Tennessee PEMBA students bring exceptional value to their organizations. While in the program, you'll participate in a company project, thereby contributing to your organization.

Graduates have taken leadership positions at major healthcare organizations. And they've become entrepreneurs and business owners.

By joining the University of Tennessee physician executive MBA, you will develop the business and management skills you need to advance your career. To find out more, contact Dr. Kate Atchley’s office by calling (865) 974-6526 or go to vitalpe.net/physicianmba.

Learning at the Studer Group

Barbara benefited by spending time working as a consultant at the Studer Group. That experience provided an understanding and tools to address satisfaction for patients, physicians, and employees.

Click here to dowwnload the Free TRANSCRIPT

Here are a few lessons Barbara learned from Studer:

• Being present
• Listening
• Treating others with respect
• Communicating effectively
• Creating a positive work culture

Those lessons were helpful in her subsequent leadership roles. She ultimately moved to a hospital in Chicago that was part of the Tenet Health System. When her hospital was sold to Loyola, she joined the leadership team as Associate Chief Medical Officer.

There, she is now responsible for the development, implementation, and oversight of the the medical management for delegated health plan functions, including value based care programs and bundled payments.

In Summary

Unless they decide otherwise, physicians can be in practice for life. However, becoming an awesome physician executive involves changing your mindset. And you may need to make sacrifices because advancing your career requires:

• Flexibility and perpetual learning, since each job presents new challenges;
• Accepting reduced job security and more frequent job change, especially if you want to advance to more challenging positions; and,
• Multiple moves, sometimes to distant locations.

We touched on so many other topics during this conversation. I encourage you to listen to teh entire interview. Also, you can download a transcript of the interview by clicking the blue button above.

Check Out This New Career Course

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve created a brand-new course that will show you how to pursue a career as a medical science liaison. You can learn more about it by going to vitalpe.net/mslcourse. But don’t delay, I’m closing the course soon.

Links for today's episode:

• Dr. Barbara Loeb’s Email Address
• Dr. Barbara Loeb on LinkedIn
• Loyola Medicine
• Northwestern University
• Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
• Rush University
• Land of Lincoln: Health Plan Initiative
• AdvocateAuroraHealth
• American Association for Physician Leadership (AAPL) (formerly known as American College of Physician Executives)
• Studer Group
• Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award
• Epic EMR
• Tenet Healthcare

Thanks to our sponsor…

Thanks to the UT Physician Executive MBA program for sponsoring the show. It’s an outstanding, highly rated, MBA program designed for working physicians. It might be just what you need to prepare for that joyful, well-paying career. You can find out more at vitalpe.net/physicianmba.

I hope to see you next time on the PNC Podcast.

If you enjoyed today’s episode, share it on Twitter and Facebook, and leave a review on iTunes.

Disclaimers:

The opinions expressed here are mine and my guest’s. While the information provided on the podcast is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge, there is no express or implied guarantee that using the methods discussed here will lead to success in your career, life or business. 

Many of the links that I refer you to, and that you’ll find in the show notes, are affiliate links. That means that I receive a payment from the seller if you purchase the affiliate item using my link. Doing so has no effect on the price you are charged. And I only promote products and services that I believe are of high quality and will be useful to you, that I have personally used or am very familiar with.

The information presented on this blog and related podcast is for entertainment and/or informational purposes only. It should not be construed as medical, legal, tax, or emotional advice. If you take action on the information provided on the blog or podcast, it is at your own risk. Always consult an attorney, accountant, career counsellor, or other professional before making any major decisions about your career. 

Right click here and “Save As” to download this podcast episode to your computer.

Here are the easiest ways to listen:

vitalpe.net/itunes  or vitalpe.net/stitcher 

The post How to Emerge as an Awesome Physician Executive – 093 appeared first on NonClinical Physicians.

Today we have the conclusion to my interview with chief information officer Christopher Leonard. The stage was set in Part 1. In this conclusion, Chris explains:

• how medical informatics has evolved,
• whether to pursue an advanced degree, and,
• how to enter this growing field.

What Is Informatics?

Chris was intrigued by the way information and technology could help solve problems for physicians and patients. He explains that the standard definition if “informatics” is “information science concerned with the dissemination and analysis of medical or patient data via applications of technology.”

Meaningful Use Requirements Spur Growth in Informatics

As a result of the Economic Stimulus Act, money was directed to the Meaningful Use program, which incentivized hospitals and doctors to adopt technology. “It was very clunky, but its intentions were obviously very good.”

One goal was to increase efficiency. Patients would not need to constantly repeat their medical history. Instead, patients’ medical records would be accessible to physicians, and totally secure and protected.

It also spurred the integration of quality measures into the electronic medical record. This would allow for tracking and improving performance.

“Well, that's the utopia part of it, right? But how do you make this happen? Imagine a hospital system in 2011. You had 200 disparate systems all over the place, trying to interact and communicate with each other.”

“Imagine the size and scope of that problem. While everyone expedited their implementation of EHR systems… you had implementation teams and CIOs that are used to more operational problems. And now you had EHRs being introduced to the mix.”

“Informatics is basically the fusion of medicine at all its different levels with technology… But technology can't be a solution in and of itself. When we implement an EHR, we're going to have implementers… trainers…physician champions… We're accumulating a bunch of data. Now, we need data analytics.”

Announcing a New Career Course

I recently released my first formal career course How to Secure a Career as a Medical Science Liaison.

It’s designed to take you from where you are in your career, to your first job as an MSL in the growing pharmaceutical industry. This is a very popular, full-time, entry-level position in pharma.

I chose to focus on this career because it's open to both licensed and unlicensed physicians. I’ve taken everything I know and pulled it together in one place. As a result, the course will enable you to navigate the process quickly. You'll be better able to find available jobs, submit your resume, and ace your interviews.

The course is now open. It will be closed for enrollment soon. And the current price is the LOWEST price at which it will ever be offered.

To learn more, at no obligation, go to vitalpe.net/mslcourse. This could be your best chance to find that new nonclinical career you’ve been seeking.

Managing Mobile Device Systems and Maintaining Security

As data accumulates, so do security concerns. “What about people who walk into the hospital with their cell phones and want to log into the EHR? How will it be managed?”

“That's just the tip of the iceberg. You've got physicians treating patients. They need a tool to document that. In that tool is clinical decision support, which provides them point-of-care information and guidelines that they can look at, flags for reminders, (and) triggers like all the things you would imagine technology would help with.”

Our Corporate Sponsor

We're proud to have the University of Tennessee Physician Executive MBA Program, offered by the Haslam College of Business, as the sponsor of this podcast.

The UT PEMBA is the longest running, and most highly respected physician-only MBA in the country, with over 650 graduates. Unlike other programs, which typically run 1 – 1/2 to 2 years, this program only takes a year to complete. And Economist Magazine recently ranked the business school #1 in the world for the Most Relevant Executive MBA.

University of Tennessee PEMBA students bring exceptional value to their organizations. While in the program, you'll participate in a company project, thereby contributing to your organization.

Graduates have taken leadership positions at major healthcare organizations. And they've become entrepreneurs and business owners.

By joining the University of Tennessee physician executive MBA, you will develop the business and management skills you need to advance your career. To find out more, with no obligation, contact Dr. Kate Atchley’s office by calling (865) 974-6526 or go to vitalpe.net/physicianmba.

Becoming Chief Information Officer

Here's Chris' advice on seeking a career in informatics (and eventually chief information officer (CIO) or chief medical information officer (CMIO)).

Engage a mentor. One way is to find like-minded people through LinkedIn. “These people are usually natural educators. They like to talk, they're passionate about what they do.”

Get involved at your organization. Look for opportunities wherever technology is being used to improve patient care or streamline a process.

And don't be sidetracked by thinking that moving out of patient care in some way is a “waste” of your medical education and clinical experience.

“There's discouragement sometimes, of going into a field where it seems like there's no clinical implications and your previous years of sacrifice are ‘wasted.’ It's never wasted. There's always context that you'll know that is just not attainable other than having gone through that clinical experience.”

Click here to download the Free TRANSCRIPT

In Summary

This 2-part series was a fairly comprehensive look at medical informatics. I was surprised to learn that there are so many new areas of specialization within the field. And that means that the opportunities in informatics are exploding.

You can download a transcript of the interview by clicking the blue button above. The transcript will include both Parts 1 and 2, so it will be twice as long as the usual download.

Check Out This New Career Course

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve created a brand-new course that will show you how to pursue a career as a medical science liaison. You can learn more about it by going to vitalpe.net/mslcourse. But don’t delay, I’m closing the course soon.

Links for today's episode:

• Dr. Christopher Leonard on LinkedIn
• Vohra Wound Physicians
• Physicians Helping Physicians
• Kansas City School of Osteopathic Medicine
• Medical College of Georgia
• Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)
• American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA)
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
• Mayo Clinic
• Northwestern (Informatics Curriculum)
• Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
• Meaningful Use
• Economic Stimulus Act
• Reasons to Pursue a Career in Medical Informatics – Interview with Dr. Brian Young – 014

Thanks to our sponsor…

Thanks to the UT Physician Executive MBA program for sponsoring the show. It’s an outstanding, highly rated, MBA program designed for working physicians. It might be just what you need to prepare for that joyful, well-paying career. You can find out more at vitalpe.net/physicianmba.

I hope to see you next time on the PNC Podcast.

If you enjoyed today’s episode, share it on Twitter and Facebook, and leave a review on iTunes.

Disclaimers:

The opinions expressed here are mine and my guest’s. While the information provided on the podcast is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge, there is no express or implied guarantee that using the methods discussed here will lead to success in your career, life or business. 

Many of the links that I refer you to, and that you’ll find in the show notes, are affiliate links. That means that I receive a payment from the seller if you purchase the affiliate item using my link. Doing so has no effect on the price you are charged. And I only promote products and services that I believe are of high quality and will be useful to you, that I have personally used or am very familiar with.

The information presented on this blog and related podcast is for entertainment and/or informational purposes only. It should not be construed as medical, legal, tax, or emotional advice. If you take action on the information provided on the blog or podcast, it is at your own risk. Always consult an attorney, accountant, career counsellor, or other professional before making any major decisions about your career. 

Right click here and “Save As” to download this podcast episode to your computer.

Here are the easiest ways to listen:

vitalpe.net/itunes  or vitalpe.net/stitcher  

The post The Interesting Life of the Chief Information Officer – 092 appeared first on NonClinical Physicians.

Dr. Christopher Leonard is the CIO at a physician management company, where he leveraged several opportunities in medical informatics. He now leads the team that designs and develops a proprietary EHR.

Christopher is a graduate of the University of Georgia, Kansas City School of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his general surgery residency at the Medical College of Georgia, and Master's in Health Informatics at Northwestern University.

After transitioning from general surgery to health informatics, he focused on raising care quality by bringing data analytics and machine learning to post-acute care.

In today's interview, Chris provides a view into his transition from satisfied general surgeon to Chief Information Officer. And he gets into the details regarding what informatics is, and how it has evolved since he over the years. Finally, he lays out how he would approach a career in medical informatics, if he were starting out today.

Announcing a New Career Course

Today's show has two sponsors. The first is my Nonclinical Career Academy, and its first paid course called How to Secure a Career as a Medical Science Liaison.

It’s designed to take you from wherever you are in your career, to your first job as an MSL in the growing pharmaceutical industry. This is a very popular, full-time, entry-level position in pharma.

I chose to focus on this career, because I’ve heard your requests for information on this topic. And because it's a career that is open to both licensed and unlicensed physicians.

So, I’ve taken everything I know from speaking with MSLs and physician career coaches, and studying and researching the field, and pulled it all together in this one place. As a result, this course will enable you to navigate the process quickly, and prepare you to find available jobs, submit your resume, and ace your interviews.

I’m opening this course up this week – the final week of May and first week of June. It will be closed for enrollment on Saturday, June 29. And the current price is the LOWEST price at which it will ever be offered.

To learn more, at no obligation, go to vitalpe.net/mslcourse. This could be your best chance to find that new nonclinical career you’ve been looking for. Again, that’s at vitalpe.net/mslcourse.

Combining Skill Sets: From Musician to Medical School to CIO

Let’s get back to my interview with Dr. Christopher Leonard. Before going into medicine, he came from a creative background. “I liked science, but I also liked art. I was a musician, and I wrote music and plays, did theater work…a vast array of creative things. Those kinds of things, even in science, are often very applicable” to an eventual career.

Chris attended the Kansas City School of Osteopathic Medicine. “I wanted to do something that wasn't just solely restricted to the lab and academics. I definitely wanted to have social engagement, and that's where the combination of skill sets came in.”

Subsequently, he did a general surgery residency at the Medical College of Georgia. Chris enjoyed the camaraderie and operational aspects.

“I enjoyed the education I got there. They wanted us to understand nutrition and medicine. The most important thing they used to say was: ‘Learn how to not operate.’ It was really about judgment, rather than just operative skills.”

Despite the teamwork, an “us vs. them” mentality still existed: “The doctors in the trenches doing clinical work vs. the administration. One side doesn't always appreciate what the other side has to deal with, and the necessities of the other side. I remember that specifically because I ended up in administration.”

Our Sponsor

We're proud to have the University of Tennessee Physician Executive MBA Program, offered by the Haslam College of Business, as the sponsor of this podcast.

The UT PEMBA is the longest running, and most highly respected physician-only MBA in the country, with over 650 graduates. Unlike other programs, which typically run 1 – 1/2 to 2 years, this program only takes a year to complete. And Economist Magazine recently ranked the business school #1 in the world for the Most Relevant Executive MBA.

University of Tennessee PEMBA students bring exceptional value to their organizations. While in the program, you'll participate in a company project, thereby contributing to your organization.

Graduates have taken leadership positions at major healthcare organizations. And they've become entrepreneurs and business owners.

By joining the University of Tennessee physician executive MBA, you will develop the business and management skills you need to advance your career. To find out more, with no obligation, contact Dr. Kate Atchley’s office by calling (865) 974-6526 or go to vitalpe.net/physicianmba.

Processes, Protocols, and Paperwork

Physicians have to deal with protocols. “A lot of things are protocol. So, why spend your creative energy on…parts of things that should be protocol?”

When Chris went to a rural hospital to practice, he revamped almost every process to improve efficiency. “Through residency, when you see the same things over and over again, like a gallbladder or potential cholecystitis, you have sort of a routine in your head. Wherever there's a distinction, you make note of it.”

Click here to download the Free TRANSCRIPT

By revising those processes, Chris was already doing administrative operational and process work. “It didn't quite click that I was naturally prone to that. I kind of did it as a big bang. I went in and changed everything.”

However, not everyone was appreciative of his efforts. “Sometimes, that ruffles feathers. It's not like I was changing it for everyone else, but people say, ‘We've been doing it this way for a long time. Who are you to come in and change these kinds of things?’”

As he kept identifying new issues to address, he decided to look into getting more training. Looking at the Northwestern University master's degree in health informatics, he found that the curriculum addressed everything he was trying to accomplish with data retrieval and analysis, and process improvement. So he signed up and began the program, and loved it.

Opportunities in Medical Informatics Keep Arriving

People notice when you look at processes and make suggestions. “You see problems… get involved…solve those problems. That will naturally open up opportunities for you for that next step, whether it's in management or getting involved in quality or safety.”

For Chris, the trigger that changed his non-clinical thinking into process-oriented thinking was sharing ideas and suggestions. “I was very enthusiastic and I think they saw that interest in the innovative way that we could go about things and process change. I had lots of ideas I fed back to them.”

Voicing your thoughts and opinions can be risky and you're going to have to do extra work to make something simpler. But it's usually worth it. And demonstrating you're interest and ability to solve problems will make you attractive to employers and supervisors. Problem solving is a valuable superpower!

In Summary

Chris’ story is so compelling and interesting to me. I appreciate that he enjoyed his work as a general surgeon. However, he was naturally drawn to standardizing and improving care. And as he developed solutions to address those concerns, informatics became the obvious solution.

I’ll be presenting Part 2 of this interview next week. And it continues with the story of how Chris pursued his interest in informatics, acquired more pertinent skills, and eventually became CIO of his practice.

He also gets into how informatics has evolved, and the common roles that he sees currently. Finally, he then gets into some detail about how to pursue an informatics career in today’s environment, and to identify opportunities in medical informatics.

You can find a transcript of the interview, by going to the clicking on the blue button above. The transcript will include both Parts 1 and 2, so it will be twice as long as the usual download.

Check Out This New Career Course

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve created a brand-new course that will show you the process for pursuing a career as a medical science liaison. You can learn more about it by going to vitalpe.net/mslcourse. But don’t delay, I’m closing the course on June 29.

Links for today's episode:

• Dr. Christopher Leonard on LinkedIn
• Time (and data) Heals Wounds – article by Dr. Leonard
• Vohra Wound Physicians:
  • Web site
  • Vohra Wound Physicians on LinkedIn
  • Career Site
  • Phone: (305) 866-7123
  • Email: info@vohraphysicians.com
• Physicians Helping Physicians
• Kansas City School of Osteopathic Medicine
• Medical College of Georgia
• Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)
• American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA)
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
• Mayo Clinic
• Northwestern (Informatics Curriculum)
• Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
• HIMSS Jobs
• HIMSS Jobmine
• CMS Informatics
• Meaningful Use
• CMS Wire
• CMS Data
• Fierce Healthcare
• Reasons to Pursue a Career in Medical Informatics – Interview with Dr. Brian Young – 014

Thanks to our sponsor…

Thanks to the UT Physician Executive MBA program for sponsoring the show. It’s an outstanding, highly rated, MBA program designed for working physicians. It might be just what you need to prepare for that joyful, well-paying career. You can find out more at vitalpe.net/physicianmba.

I hope to see you next time on the PNC Podcast.

If you enjoyed today’s episode, share it on Twitter and Facebook, and leave a review on iTunes.

Disclaimers:

The opinions expressed here are mine and my guest’s. While the information provided on the podcast is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge, there is no express or implied guarantee that using the methods discussed here will lead to success in your career, life or business. 

Many of the links that I refer you to, and that you’ll find in the show notes, are affiliate links. That means that I receive a payment from the seller if you purchase the affiliate item using my link. Doing so has no effect on the price you are charged. And I only promote products and services that I believe are of high quality and will be useful to you, that I have personally used or am very familiar with.

The information presented on this blog and related podcast is for entertainment and/or informational purposes only. It should not be construed as medical, legal, tax, or emotional advice. If you take action on the information provided on the blog or podcast, it is at your own risk. Always consult an attorney, accountant, career counsellor, or other professional before making any major decisions about your career. 

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