Relinquishing the MD identity: A physician reveals her Artist

I'm always surprised by just how many physicians express their longing for an outlet for, or even an escape from, the relentless pressure to see insanely big numbers of patients a day to keep incomes stable or meet organizational demands. And to hear how stuck they feel about next steps.

Every now and again I encounter a physician who has decided to follow his or her heart.

Lissa Rankin MD is one such person.

Lissa is an OB/Gyn who has sensed a calling as an artist for many years now, and who felt compelled to step away from the rat race and then a bad job situation, and instead permit herself a year off.

Listen to The Entrepreneurial MD Podcast this week, with Dr. Rankin's frank revelations about clinical practice, her journey into the creative life (including that of author and blogger) and her willingness to tolerate and enjoy  "the freefall" that such an adventure entails. Her many months away from practice have been a time of self-discovery and creative exploration, and she is still unsure as to what the next fork in the road will offer. All she knows is that  she is having a lot of fun!

PS: Enjoy some of Lissa's striking art at LissaRankin.com and read her funny and candid "yoni musings" at her blog.

Marketing Tip #3 for Physician Business Owners

This is the third in my brief tips from the Dan Kennedy seminar I attended several weeks ago, in which I got to admire a master who makes a big deal out of telling it like it is (with books such as "No B.S. Direct Marketing: The Ultimate, No Holds Barred, Kick Butt, Take No Prisoners Direct Marketing for Non-direct Marketing Businesses" and "No B.S. Time management for entrepreneurs") and acting like a big grump!

 How is this for a provocative Dan Kennedy statement?:

"The degree to which you are willing to drive away others is the degree to which you and your message will resonate with your market" .

His argument goes this way:

In order to immunize your business against recession, you need to discriminate. While this is not a comfortable word for the politically correct amongst us, one of  Webster's definition of discrimination is "the quality or power of finely distinguishing".

The initial stepping stone to successful business results that come from marketing is:

• Be clear WHO you plan to sell to (or attract into your practice)  i.e. who is in your special niche?
• and WHAT it is you are best at selling or offering i.e. what are you passionate about and skilled at offering that others want or desire?

Have the courage to make that clear to the marketplace.

I hope I am starting to sound like a nag, because I AM one on this topic. I learned the hard way, and want to make the path to success much smoother for you.

Who do you need to "discriminate in favor of" in order to recession-proof your business?

Here are Tip #1 and Tip #2.

Is too much choice bad for business and your health?

By now, those of you who have followed me know that I am a huge fan of the TED Talks series. And if you don't know what this is:

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader.

The annual conference now brings together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes).

The tag line says it all -- "Inspired talks by the world's greatest thinkers and doers".

Well, I wrote a post many months ago on The Price of Perfectionism, and made reference to Barry Schwartz's book "The Paradox of Choice".

And here in the video below, from TED, is Barry doing his 18-minute thing, helping us understand why too much choice is a bad thing. Not only for ourselves, but also for the people we hope to attract and retain as patients or customers. Whether we are talking about product or service offerings, or website design.

Perhaps a poor analogy, but have you taken a multiple choice exam recently? How fried did your brain feel when confronted with all those options and you weren't absolutely certain of the answer?

Remember -- the confused mind always says "no".

(Thanks to Akshay Kapur for pointing out this video).

Update on Tuesday, August 19, 2008 at 01:54PM by Philippa Kennealy

Coincidentally I saw this blog post later today that reinforces the ideas in my post:

Megabranding: The Purple Oreo Problem

Steven Knope MD writes the first book on Concierge Medicine

Talking to Dr. Steven Knope is an exercise in fascination.

What is this French-horn-playing, Ironman triathletic, 3rd degree black belt-holding Kenpo martial artist up to now?

Stirring the pot of controversy it seems, with his newly released book Concierge Medicine; A New System to Get the Best Healthcare. As a two-time author and full-time practicing internist, Dr. Knope is ready to take on all that is wrong with the everyday practice of medicine.

In this podcast interview with Dr. Knope, you will hear how and why he got started in his concierge medicine practice in Tucson Arizona, along with his counterargument about the "ethics" of how medicine is practiced in the concierge model versus the HMO and third party insurance industry.

Above all, you will hear a physician who is passionately dedicated to improving the overall health of his patients through a relentless focus on customized exercise and nutrition plans along with health education provided without the constraints of "no time to practice properly".

When you are done listening to this intriguing interview, please come back to The Entrepreneurial MD Blog and share your comments and thoughts. 

Brief review of Concierge Medicine; A New System to Get the Best Healthcare (Praeger, 2008)

Aimed at lay people and potentially physician colleagues who are interested in understanding the rationale for starting a concierge or retainer practice, the book portrays the demise of the personally attentive "Marcus Welby MD-style" physician and the rise of the perpetually rushed and therefore more disengaged "provider".

Using the metaphor throughout the book of health as an asset to be invested wisely, Knope cites the three critical components of comprehensive healthcare: expert medical care, an appropriately tailored exercise program and a sound life-long nutritional plan. He draws parallels between the teachings of financial gurus about the creation and preservation of wealth, and his own about health -- the "great equalizer" between the moneyed haves and the penniless have-nots!

He makes a persuasive case for the style of medicine that can be practiced when there is a direct financial arrangement between physician and patient, and offers his argument for how this can be funded (high deductible policies linked to HSAs, sacrificing that daily latte and pack of cigarettes, amongst others).

I found the book both interesting as a personal story (after all I left the practice of medicine mostly as a result of my unhappiness with the environment in which I being forced to practice) and as a description of a model that, though not yet widespread, is emerging as a viable alternative to having disgruntled physicians leave medicine altogether, as I did!

The book doesn't offer physician colleagues a prescriptive "how-to". That is best left for organizations such as SIMPD and the myriad of consultants who have arisen along with the emergence of concierge medicine.

Instead, it puts forward the journey of one physician from frustrated practitioner to, dare I say it, joyful professional. And challenges patients to question and examine what they are getting for their or their employer's money under the traditional insurance-based healthcare practice model.

I daresay the book will frustrate the critics of concierge medicine, but that is what is so great about freedom of ideas and speech. At least one MD in the USA is a happy practitioner!

Marketing Tip # 2 for physician business owners

Marketing Tip #1 was that all business failures are earned.

Now let's talk about something that's less of a downer!

Have you ever heard the saying "people do business with those who they know, like and trust"?

If you want to attract the attention, interest, desire and action of your ideal patients or clients, first impressions count. These will help get attention and generate interest. The book "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell went to great entertaining length to make that point.

But trust is much harder to win.

Here is a Dan Kennedy-ism I was reminded of, during his seminar.

All the trust, AND the money, is in the follow-up.

Trust is earned step by step, drop by drop, contact by contact. The marketing experts tell us it takes between 5 and 9 contacts (where do they find these numbers??) with a prospective customer before they even register who you are and that you exist. It takes several more for them to decide if you're trustworthy!

Every time you prove to reliable, helpful and friendly, you reinforce the experience of  you in the mind and emotions of your prospect.

This means you have to get your creative juices flowing to come up with those 5 to 9 sequential ways to demonstrate your competent expertise, your helpfulness and your responsiveness. This is the principle behind relationship marketing, in which your goal is to build trusting relationships.

And if something goes awry, you apologize immediately, do all you can to make amends, and work extra hard to regain that precious trust.

How often have you met or talked with a "prospect" once and then never initiated the next step?

If you want someone's business (or career help or possible mentoring, for those who are more interested in a new career than growing a business), it is your responsibility to make the next overtures, no matter how it was left.

Remember - all business failures are earned. And one great failure in business is a lack of persistent, helpful follow up.

Become a dripping faucet. And watch for the gush of business!

So just how good is your follow up?