I did it!! At last I connected with Dr Mike Woo-Ming (known affectionately to his audience as Dr. Mike) for a podcast interview. After trying for about a year. Don't you admire my persistence?

I'm chuffed (that is South African for happy/pleased) to have secured this conversation, as Mike has carved a name for himself as a solidly successful citizen in the often over-hyped world of Internet marketing.

Amongst many other entrepreneurial activities, Mike offers teaching, training and educational presentations all over the world -- his forthcoming workshops in December and January are dedicated to helping physicians make their entry into information marketing via the internet.

Hear how he transformed his life from horribly overworked, ambitious but family-oriented practising physician to a work-from-home-on-his-schedule information marketer who not only sells his valuable knowledge of health, disease and our crazy healthcare system to the lay public, but also shares his acquired learning about how to build a hugely successful Internet-based business with entrepreneurs (including physicians!)

Listen to my interview with Dr. Mike Woo-Ming here (it's longer than usual - we had so much to talk about, and it clocks in at aboutt 40 minutes) and then feel free to add your comments and thoughts back at The Entrepreneurial MD Blog.

Robert (Rob) M. Freund MD has big dreams. 

As a practicing plastic surgeon with a restless, curious mind, he has joined the elite crew of physician inventors with patents and products that actually sell.

Not only does he tinker and invent, but he has also found time to write two books (the second is soon to be published), while ensuring he doesn't miss his son's baseball games. I was relieved to hear that he doesn't sleep much - otherwise I'd have to believe he is super-human.

Listen to this lively 20 minute podcast in which Rob offers a glimpse into his full and creative professional life. Then rejoin us on The Entrepreneurial MD Blog and share your thoughts in the comment area if you like.

In the heart of family physician and ER doc Ginger Campbell MD lurks a fascination for her fellow humankind. Not for just the healing of the body, but also for the inner workings of the mind.

For the nature of consciousness.

For how we think.

For what it is to be self-aware creatures.

After dabbling in Eastern philosophy to glean a deeper understanding of these questions, Dr. Campbell found herself increasingly drawn to Western philosophical attempts to address these mysteries. In doing so, she found herself back on the brink of the science she thought she had left behind in medical school.

Specifically Neuroscience.

Technological and imaging advances had enabled researchers and scientist to begin visualizing the brain and even the realm of "mind" and "feelings". And every day, new explanations were emerging for how our brains and minds work.

At the same time, being an Early Adopter, Ginger had discovered podcasting. And that's how her entrepreneurial venture was born.

She created two podcast shows - the Brain Science Podcast and Books and Ideas in 2006, filled with meticulously crafted conversations and interviews, and she is closing in on her 60th episode in the former series.

In 2008, she launched Sciencepodcasters.org to foster collaboration amongst the many other science podcasters, in an effort to reach a wider audience.

Listen to her intriguing story as she shares her successes and challenges in expressing her creative outlet as a New Media person, away from the Emergency Room.

And then please rejoin us on The Entrepreneurial MD Blog to add your comments.

Greg Bledsoe MD MPH is one heck of an accomplished person. Not only has he traveled and worked in a fascinating array of countries and exotic situations, but as an ER doc, he escaped academia to pursue his combined love of teaching and travel -- helping those of his physician colleagues who were seeking out-of-the-ordinary careers.

Starting with the now-popular ExpedMed conferences on Expedition and Wilderness Medicine, he and his team have moved forward, to include producing their first Medical Fusion Conference. His goal: to bring together a top-notch faculty to show physicians the ropes of how to move into fulfilling careers that match their passions and interests.

He's also a newbie blogger -- welcome to the world of creating community through blogging, Greg! Hope you develop a fabulous tribe around you.

Listen to this podcast in which he shares his story of entrepreneurship, beginning with selling rocks at age 6 to the neighbors. Who knows where he and his team will go next??

Then come back to The Entrepreneurial MD Blog and let us know what you think.

And BTW, if you plan to attend the Medical Fusion Conference, please let me know -- I'd love to say hi as I will be there!

Richard Berning MD is not only a pediatric cardiologist and family man, but he also has several fingers in Internet pies.

In this week's Entrepreneurial MD Podcast, he reveals his genetically encoded love affair with entrepreneurship as he tackles the creation of not only his own website, PrivatePractice.md but also the role of educator and advisor to two other sites -- PhysiciansForPatients.com and New Millenium Education.

Enjoy his enthusiasm and energy as he shares his story, and then rejoin us on The Entrepreneurial MD Blog to add your comments or questions.

Dr. Meg Meeker is one accomplished, busy and articulate lady!

As the author of six books (the 7th is on its way), a blogger, a mother and a pediatrician in practice with her husband, she has taken a strong stand for our children. Ardently opposed to our society's early sexualization of little girls in particular and a fierce proponent of excellence in parenting (for both mothers and fathers), she began the non-practicing part of her professional life speaking out in public forums. This passion quickly morphed into a writing career, along with national recognition as an authority on children's health and wellbeing, teens and parenting.

In this delightful podcast with Dr. Meeker, listen to her commonsensical approach to wearing many hats, along with her go-for-it encouragement for those physicians amongst you with ideas and strong opinions that need expression.

After listening, join us back at The Entrepreneurial MD Blog to add your comments and thoughts.

I've been aware of GoogleAds for a long time but haven't had the time or mental energy to master yet one more piece of know-how.

Shame on me.

In my latest Insights from the Professionals podcast interview, I discovered from Wayne State University marketing professor Kevin Ketels just how easy and efficient GoogleAds can be in promoting a business to its ideal target market. As CEO of KMED LLC, a clinical research firm, Kevin has deployed his extensive marketing knowledge to build the business -- including, I suspect, the use of GoogleAd campaigns.

And who is that ideal target market? The person with a need or desire who happens to be sitting in front of the computer searching for exactly what it is you have to offer. Hopefully using the search terms that match those you've used in your GoogleAd!

Listen to this informative podcast with Kevin and learn what a GoogleAd campaign is, find out how Google has radically changed the traditional marketing model, and discover how to set one up.

And then rejoin us at The Entrepreneurial MD Blog to share your thoughts or questions.

And you can tell me here if you're keen to learn more and I'll set up one of our free monthly teleclasses with Kevin -- he's happy to share his knowledge.

Makes me wonder how much money I've been leaving on the table to date! How about you?

Pediatrician Dr. Natalie Hodge has an ardent opinion that she is not afraid to share. And ears she wants to get to, including the likes of Bill and Melinda Gates.

As the founder of Personal Pediatrics, a house-call based retainer practice that she operates using her car, her laptop and her iPhone, she discovered her calling in the best of entrepreneurial ways.

She asked her customers what they wanted!

When harried moms expressed their interest in having a doctor who would come to the house, she sprang into action, and Personal Pediatrics was born.

Having proven the success of the model and finding herself besieged with questions by physicians and interested consumers from all over the country, she wisely looked at the larger business opportunity.

Now, not only does Natalie deliver care from bedroom to bedroom but her business also offers a consulting and licensing model, providing the turnkey tools for other frustrated pediatricians to experience what it's like to fall in love with clinical practice all over again!

Listen here to this stimulating and impassioned podcast with Natalie Hodge and then come back to The Entrepreneurial MD Blog to tell us what you think.

What silver lining is it possible to discover in the life-threatening illness of one's own infant?

Hard to imagine, but Dr Sharon Langshur and her husband Eric accomplished this amazing feat.

When their first child was born in 1998 with severe congenital heart disease and Dr. Langshur had to put most of her life on hold, this challenged couple received a great gift of support from Sharon's brother, then a web-savvy techie.

In order to manage the outpouring of support and the desire to keep people updated with progress reports, Sharon's brother built a web page. This page was used to post updates on their son Matthew's progress, as he and the family endured three surgeries.

The enterprising part came later when, in 2000, the Langshurs launched CarePages based on their positive experience with their first "care page".

Listen to this inspiring story from a physician whose identity evolved, through necessity, from pediatrician to caring mother and accomplished business woman in response to a big change in circumstances. And learn more about this invaluable contribution to the peace of mind and sanity of people undergoing medical experiences -- proof that it isn't only "doctoring" that MDs have to offer the world! In fact, doctors make great social entrepreneurs (the topic of this month's newsletter article).

And then please rejoin us at The Entrepreneurial MD Blog to share your comments and thoughts.

Facebook is in our faces, we are twittering about Twitter and we're linking in through LinkedIn, so I was delighted to speak with David Toub MD MBA, Medical Director of Gynesonics, to hear his thoughts about the role of social media networking in healthcare.

In this interview (a little over 30 minutes), we discuss his personal journey from happy laparoscopic surgeon and gynecologist to physician business executive, with a detour through business school. He also shares his experience with the increasing power of online social networking -- which helped him land his latest satisfying position. And he gets really fired up when talking about the role of social media and online collaboration in medical education.

While not strictly a physician entrepreneur having started his own business, David functions very much in entrepreneurial mode, finding ways to express his business savvy and creative thinking in his non-clinical roles. I encourage you to listen to the podcast and find inspiration for your own journey beyond clinical practice!

Remember - to play the podcast, click on the grey POD button above.

And then rejoin us at The Entrepreneurial MD Blog to comment.

Dr. Jennifer Lin thinks so.

As a practicing family physician in Tucson AZ, she was close to burnout trying to cope with new mommydom AND maintain her "quota" of patients in practice.

Her plaintive cry:

This way of life went on day after day until my body did something it never would have done a decade before. It literally crashed. The stress manifested itself as frequent colds, neck and low back pain, headaches, insomnia, and chronic fatigue. I was destroying and taking light of the one thing that was more valuable than all the world's riches: MY HEALTH. I realized that I needed to make some difficult choices--either continue to let my job slowly kill me or cut down my hours and take a pay cut. Needless to say, neither option seemed like a fair one to me. Why should having to regain a better quality of life mean that I had to compromise my income?

Being both resourceful and desperate, she embarked on a quest to find another way to produce income to supplement her physician salary and free to up to enjoy medical practice once again. She also needed to create the time and energy to devote to two small kids - a frequent physician/mother challenge!

Listen to Jennifer Lin's story (just under 20 minutes) to find out how she found her perfect solution -- a home-based online business (CarbonCopyPro) with minimal start-up costs, affording her the opportunity to practice medicine part-time without feeling pressure to produce (she can even give away acupuncture sessions on occasion, as her gift back to her patients), and the luxury of a balanced personal and professional life.

And then please rejoin us at The Entrepreneurial MD Blog with your comments or questions!

Val Jones MD is one smart, energetic and articulate cookie.

As seminarian-turned-physician, and now part-time clinician and President and CEO of Better Health LLC, Val has navigated so many career paths, it's enough to make one dizzy.

She refuses to be defined by the term "physician" and instead embraces a Whole New Mind approach to her life and work.

In this fascinating 22 and a half minute podcast interview, Val shares her story and her secrets to having fun and success as an entrepreneurial physician. She also outlines her ambition to connect the dots between science, "un-hyped" health education and real ("better") health. She plans for Better Health to be an influential voice in the development of healthcare policy that reflects and acknowledges the reality of the working lives of her constituency -- healthcare providers.

What an opportune time to have her around!

To add your thoughts to this podcast, please rejoin us here at The Entrepreneurial MD Blog.

And if you want to catch her musings and information on Twitter, you can do so here.

...or will a crossword puzzle a day keep the doctor away?

With the influx of so many into the ranks of "older" folks, the big question arises about how to keep so many boomer brains healthy? How can we prevent the tragic dissociation between intact bodies and demented brains that Alzheimer's and other dementing diseases produce?

As the daughter of a man whose beautiful and gentle life ended in the early stages of dementia, I have a keen interest in learning more personally about how to stave off this mental disaster.

Dr. Paul Bendheim believes passionately that he and his team at BrainSavers may be part of the solution.

A neurologist with a career-long interest in neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's and prion disease (aka "mad cow disease"), Dr Bendheim hit upon his idea for a "brain-saving" program 4 or 5 years ago, that he has slowly and methodically evolved into a business.

In his quest to develop tools to preserve healthy brain function, Dr. Bendheim and his team have created a 3-pronged approach, using a total lifestyle program backed up by neuroscientific research.

Listen here to his BrainSaver story (25 minutes) and discover how he found the stamina to go from an earlier failed business venture to create a new start-up, garner the necessary financing and build a team of top-notch professionals to get his business off the ground.

And then please rejoin us at The Entrepreneurial MD Blog to share your thoughts.

What do you get when you mix passion with expertise and curiosity?

You get Dr. Steven Ponder, a committed pediatric endocrinologist and diabetologist, who has become an equally enthusiastic entrepreneurial physician.

As a Type I diabetic since age 9, Dr. Ponder knows diabetes.

in addition to practicing medicine, Steve is also a business owner in MyGluco.com and DiabetesHousecall.com - two highly innovative companies involved in the delivery of direct healthcare.

In this week's 25-minute podcast interview, you will hear Dr. Ponder describe how he became an accidental entrepreneur, what he had to learn to build his business expertise and how he and his business partner have taken advantage of technology to deliver care to a far-flung population of diabetic children in Texas.

What the podcast doesn't do justice to are the additional "smart marketing" activities I discovered post-interview that Dr Ponder is engaged in:

• writing a blog
• writing a health column for a local newspaper
• doing a radio show that is picked up by his local PBS station.

As a contemporary "marketer" (this modest guy would hate to think of himself as such --  he would only think of himself as an educator) who is using all the recommended strategies for getting the word out,  it is no wonder he is "slightly famous" in his community.

When you are done listening, please rejoin me at The Entrepreneurial MD Blog and add your thoughts or comments.

Kenneth (Ken) Cohn MD MBA is no ordinary general surgeon.

This is a man who looked at a layoff as an opportunity to keep his wife happy (smart guy!) by remaining settled in New England, and instead, made lemonade out of the lemons he was handed.

Involuntary unemployment provided him with the chance and time to go back to school to get his MBA at the Tuck Business School at Dartmouth, thus launching a whole new phase of Ken's professional development.

As the founder of Healthcarecollaboration.com and a self-employed consultant who helps hospital administrators and their medical staffs and physician communities get cozy and collaborative, Ken obviously has the patience of a saint (I know, because I have been there and struggled with that). And a delightfully self-deprecating sense of humor to match! He's also a thoughtful blogger.

And to keep his hand in, he maintains a practice as a locum tenens, getting to know many physicians and hospital administrators in the process. Good marketing, don't you think?

Listen here as Ken shares the insights and lessons that becoming an accidental and now very intentional entrepreneurial physician have presented to him.

And then please rejoin us at The Entrepreneurial MD Blog to share your comments and thoughts!

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!

And please come back to The Entrepreneurial MD Blog and share your comments about this insightful and revelatory interview!

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

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.

In response to demand, and hot on the heels of our popular May teleclass on Internet Marketing 101 for Physician Entrepreneurs (how to create an effective website!), I interviewed Shama Hyder of AfterTheLaunch for this week's podcast.

Internet Marketing expert Shama has mastered the skill of making tough technical ideas seem easy to understand!

In the podcast, I explore with Shama just what SEO (search engine optimization) is, and why it matters to any medical or physician website owner who wants to be found on the Web through the search engines by potential patients or clients.

Shama generously shares the simpler optimization tips that even non-techies can implement (such as using your best key words and phrases in your content and in your article or blog post titles).

Listen here to The Entrepreneurial MD podcast, and then please go back to The Entrepreneurial MD Blog to comment or ask questions.

Jeffrey Segal MD is a fierce watch dog, always on guard against medical injustice.

As the CEO and founder of Medical Justice, he holds his company responsible for helping preserve the reputations and sanity of his 1700+ physician subscribers, in a healthcare system gone crazy with often frivolous and meritless lawsuits.

Jeff is now a true serial entrepreneur, having started DarPharma, Inc, a biotechnology company in Chapel Hill, N.C., focused on the discovery and development of first-of-class pharmaceuticals for neuropsychiatric disorders.

Why Medical Justice?

As a practicing neurosurgeon, Dr. Segal recognized the pain that lawsuits caused for his colleagues, and then experienced first hand the anguish of being sued himself. His frustration at the lopsidedness of a justice system that made it easy for lawyers to file suits against physicians without much consequence spawned the birth of the ideas behind his company.

Listen to this week's podcast as the articulate and passionate Dr. Segal describes the path his company has taken to date, and how he sees the vision for the business evolving.

And then please share your thoughts at The Entrepreneurial MD Blog.

One enterprising and industrious physician believes it can.

Neurosurgeon Dr. Louis Cornacchia doesn't just want to save your brain or spine; he's wants to save medicine from itself. Frustrated by the diminished power of physicians in the current healthcare system and the increasing disconnect between physicians and patients, he has been on a 9-year journey to find sustainable and effective solutions.

After extensive research and consultation with physician colleagues, patients (consumers of healthcare), attorneys, technogeeks and business people, he and his partners have concluded that the only successful path to a healthcare revolution is via the connectivity and continuity provided by web-based technology platforms.

As a founder of Doctations, Dr. Cornacchia speaks about his journey to entrepreneurship that began with a series of annoying and unnecessary interactions in the hospital around providing patient care, and his vision for the company in this week's Entrepreneurial MD Podcast.

The somewhat challenging concepts are best captured in the company's Mission Statement:

Doctations, Inc. intends to further leverage the power of the Internet to improve the efficiency, accessibility and quality of healthcare delivery and doctor-patient interactions, with an initial focus on Internet-enabled digital medical records (iDMR) and automation of physician offices using outsourced services provided by a distributed, independent domestic workforce. A strong doctor-patient relationship is key to improving the delivery of excellent healthcare. The Doctations software suite allows doctors to use the Internet to establish Centers of Excellence and to help decrease the global cost of healthcare.

Doctors + Other Provider Organizations + Patients = Web Integrated Healthcare Communities

Practicing physicians can immediately begin using the platform for free, while patients and their families can set up their records at www.iMedicalHome.com - want to try it out?

Then please share your thoughts back at The Entrepreneurial MD Blog.

Dr. Albert Fuchs is an ethical purist. That much is clear from our podcast interview today in which the Beverly Hills internist shares his views on his transition from an overworked less-than-satisfied traditional medical practitioner to a streamlined, calm, happy doctor with no immediate plans to quit his concierge practice.

At a patient's urging, he explored the concierge or retainer practice model, discovering its many variations. And realizing that, by cutting back dramatically on his patient load, he could once again become the real physician he had dreamt of being in his medical school days.

Seeking the mentorship of a family member with business experience, he began the transition several years ago by severing ties with the healthcare insurance industry, first with the PPOs and a year later with Medicare.

Paradoxically, he argues that, instead of contributing to the creation of primary care shortages with this model of care, he sees that students considering medicine as a future career are more likely to consider primary care when exposed to the role models of contented physicians providing the care they most enjoy giving to their patients! As opposed to the image many are witnessing today of harrassed, irritable doctors rushing from patient to patient, handling 5 phone calls between rooms, in order to make their "quota".

His advice:

• decide on whose behalf you are truly willing to work and who your customers really are - insurers or patients?
• take the high road and offer only those services and that care that is evidence-based. Keep it ethical - only offer what you would have done unto you!

Listen here to Dr Fuchs's refreshing account of how he chose to re-align with his deepest professional values, in his quest for his vision of an ideal practice.

And then rejoin us at The Entrepreneurial MD Blog here for your comments and opinion!

What does it take to liberate one unhappy urologist from a bleak unending future as a physician group associate?

Answer: A powerful guiding vision.

Dr. Richard Schoor is a Smithtown NY urologist who has already accomplished three great things as an entrepreneurial physician:

1. He has built a solo specialty practice, with the guidance of his own Grand Vision, and is en route to the much bigger dream
2. He has carved out a niche for himself as a male infertility sub-specialist, in a crowded field, thereby turning his potential competitors into a source of referrals
3. He has begun building a web presence and "platform" for his name and practice using 21st century marketing tools, and has already reaped the benefits. He is the author of an acclaimed blog -- The Independent Urologist.

Since I teach and encourage each of these principles, in my eyes that makes him an up-and-coming star entrepreneurial physician business owner!

Listen to Dr Schoor tell his story of how he escaped the "safe" trap of group practice, and opted instead for the elation of independent solo practice (it's less than 20 minutes).

And then please rejoin us at The Entrepreneurial MD Blog to share your thoughts and questions.

Andy Oakes-Lottridge MD is an intrepid family physician entrepreneur who is now having as much fun building his practice, Personalized Health Care, as he is delivering medical care -- right in the homes of his patients.

As one of the growing number of physicians with concierge or membership-style medical practices (known to some as "boutique practices"), he opened his doors (actually the doors of his Honda Accord car) almost three years ago after recognizing some significant limitations to traditional group practice.

However, instead of opting for an office-based practice, he has chosen a practice in which 100% of his patient visit are home visits. Talk about keeping overhead down!

Listen to The Entrepreneurial MD Podcast here where you can enjoy his refreshing story and appealingly candid insights about life as a concierge home-visiting doctor in Fort Myers in the Southwestern part of Florida, and then rejoin us at The Entrepreneurial MD Blog to add your comments or questions!

Dr Manya Arond-Thomas is a woman with a strong sense of purpose; she's on a tear to help restore humanity and heart to healthcare.

As a physician, Executive coach and Organizational Development specialist, she's long had a love affair with leadership. Having worked as an internal coach prior to developing her own business, Manya Arond-Thomas and Associates, she has focused on working with leaders and teams to produce healthier workplaces.

And in her newest business venture, Heart of Healthcare (soon to be available online), she is returning to her roots -- her passion for improving the quality of life for those in health and human services.

Listen here to her sharing the story of her journey into and out of clinical practice - it's a 20-minute interview - and then return to The Entrepreneurial MD Blog to add your comments!

In today's Entrepreneurial MD Podcast episode, I interview Michael Horowitz MD MBA to discover how he transitioned from actively practicing cardiac surgeon and program director to Founder and President of Medical Insights International  - a medical tourism consulting company.

Hear how Dr. Horowitz's fascination with leadership and management led to his enrollment in an MBA program, and how one concept taught in class caught his attention sufficiently, that two or three years later, he is now living and breathing medical tourism, and globetrotting to foreign places to better understand who his ideal target market is, and what problems they are needing help with solving.

And when you are finished listening, please come back to The Entrepreneurial MD Blog to add your thoughts or comments.

Howard Stark MD's guiding principles seem to be driven by two questions: "What if...?" and "Why not...?"

As a busy internist and gastroenterologist with a curious and observing mind, he questioned why it wasn't possible for his patients to use the Internet to schedule appointments and reserve time with him, when it was so easy to make an airplane reservation online. What difference was there, really?

So starts his story into his latest, almost accidental, entrepreneurial physician venture.

His original goals: make life in practice a whole lot easier AND make a mobile traveling life outside practice possible.

Listen to Dr Stark share how his inquisitive mind and able partnerships have spun a highly useful home-grown web-based interface for his practice into a full-blown business, at DoctorsOnTheWeb.

And I'd love to read your comments at The Entrepreneurial MD Blog, when you're done listening!

I am a big proponent of finding a well-defined niche to build your business around. Rosalie Hamilton of Expert Communications has been shrewd enough to accomplish that in spades, by providing business development education and coaching to physicians (that is a niche in and of itself) on the topic of how to succeed in a medical expert witness business. A niche within a niche!

I interviewed Rosalie today to learn more about the business of becoming an expert witness and how to generate a steady flow of clients requiring your services -- clients such as attorneys and insurance companies. This conversation is not about doctors being asked to review the odd case for an attorney -- we all know someone who has done that. Instead it focuses on physicians whose intent it is to build a business as a medical expert witness.

By the way, take note of how Rosalie exemplifies good marketing -- she has a niche and a distinct target market, and she promotes her services by writing articles for publications, making public presentations, and writing a book that positions her as the expert in her field, The Expert Witness Marketing Book: How to Promote Your Forensic Practice in a Professional and Cost-Effective Manner.

Get insights from this consummate professional consultant and author guest by listening to this week's Entrepreneurial MD Podcast.

And when you are done listening, please rejoin me at The Entrepreneurial MD Blog to post your comments or questions!

I am always fascinated by people's careers, and also constantly on the lookout for professionals whose work supports my physician readers' entrepreneurial activities.

So it was both fun and informative recording this week's Entrepreneurial MD Podcast (yes - it is my intention to create weekly podcasts again, after a dry spell over the holidays) with Joshua P. (Josh) Friedman, a colleague I met through my terrific Provisors business networking group.

Josh is a collection attorney who provides the invaluable service of going after your hard-earned money that still happens to be sitting in another person's wallet. His clients include many practicing physicians who are having difficulty getting paid for their services.

Listen to his clear and educational explanation of what a collection attorney can do to help you boost your bottom line, AND how to minimize the infuriation of bad debt by developing sound office policies, setting solid deadlines for payment, and developing follow-up strategies if your irate phone calls aren't working! 

Here is the ACA organization he references near the end of the 17-minute interview.

When you are finished listening, please rejoin me at The Entrepreneurial MD Blog to add your comments or questions.

Not every physician entrepreneur is raking in the big bucks from his or her venture. Just ask Kirsti Dyer.

Kirsti Dyer MD, MS, FT, FAAETS, NCBF is a highly trained and qualified physician with a passion for easing the grief of loss and bereavement, as well as improving the well-being of her audience.

This passion has positioned her as a health educator and Internet entrepreneur, with several websites: Journey of Hearts, the Violet Heart and NICU Parent Support.

While this may sound glamorous, Kirsti is the first to confess that she has struggled to find a way to derive income from her labors of love. Having given up clinical medical practice, she has chosen to pursue her love of teaching, and fulfill her sense of purpose by helping others cope and learn. Her entrepreneurial businesses are a work in progress!

Listen to my interview with this dedicated and articulate physician at The Entrepreneurial MD Podcast this week (it's 24 minutes long), and discover that being an entrepreneur is not only about making more money -- it's about having the freedom to create something of value and to express what lies deep within yourself. A concept that is completely in line with my own philosophy about entrepreneurship.

And when you are done listening, please rejoin us at The Entrepreneurial MD Blog to add your comments and questions.

Dr Ken Corre has found a way to relieve his stress as an ER physician - he writes medical mysteries. And his first book, The Victim Donor, has been published and well-received.

In a prior post earlier this year, I shared a snippet of the interview I had with Dr. Corre about his journey into authorship. Here now is the full interview, to inspire and caution all you wannabe writers.

The road to getting published is bumpy with obstacles - finding the time to write, corralling your personal discipline, selecting an editor in a timely way and opting for self-publication versus finding an agent and publisher. But, according to Dr. Corre, it is also strewn with rewards - the satisfaction of creation, the opportunity to redefine Self, and the recognition of your merits outside of the title of "MD".

Enjoy this week's Entrepreneurial MD's Podcast with a physician who is having some fun outside the ER!

When you are done listening, please rejoin us at The Entrepreneurial MD Blog to post your comments.

I had the good sense and excellent fortune to hire this week's Entrepreneurial MD Podcast guest back when I was a medical director at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center.

Dr. Marc Bard is the founder and CEO of The Bard Group, a distinguished healthcare consulting firm in Boston MA. The Bard Group "specializes in helping healthcare organizations achieve extraordinary results" (from their website).

And how true it was. Marc flew out from the East coast once a month to our hospital to provide an evening of physician leadership development. And you can sense how good he was when I tell you that we had a full house each month on a Monday evening for eight months. And the doctors were not coming for the food!

Marc is a trained internist who began post-residency life at Harvard Community Health Plan and fell in love with business, leadership and management. He transitioned into his consulting practice, and subsequent business, by accident.

What is intriguing about Marc's business is how slowly it evolved out of his clinical practice over a long time span. He had no vision or intention of being a consultant and business owner at the outset!

Listen to Marc's delightfully self-deprecating and humorous interview (it's about 27 minutes long) and pay attention to how he describes his growing awareness of what it means to be in business. His is truly an evolutionary and inspirational tale!

When you are done listening to the interview, I invite you to come back to The Entrepreneurial MD Blog to add your comments or questions.

 

Who wants to be famous?

Okay .... perhaps a more relevant question is: Who would like to be even slightly famous - recognized as an expert in your field and acknowledged as the go-to person on your topic of expertise?

My bet is that many of you would. I certainly would!

Last year, I took a great teleclass with two experts on "Growing your Business with Google". At its core, the class was centered on understanding how search engines work, and discovering how, using some inexpensive and easily available tools both online and offline, you could position yourself as a subject matter guru within a relatively short period of time.

One of the class teachers was Steven Van Yoder, author of "Get Slightly Famous: Become a Celebrity in Your Field and Attract More Business with Less Effort", which has recently been released in its second edition.

I was privileged to interview Steve for a podcast this week, and was able to explore on your behalf how, with a little strategic and creative thinking, you too can begin to craft your plan for getting your good name out, and attracting the attention you need to drive new business in through your front door.

The steps he outlines are available to both the small boutique or solo business person or practitioner, as well as the large organization.

Listen carefully to Steve's podcast interview (it's a little over 23 minutes) as he shares his wisdom and expertise about "thought leadership marketing", "cause marketing" and taking advantage of Web 2.0.

Hear how he makes this kind of marketing and PR accessible to even the smallest "shoestring" marketing budget. NO MORE $20,000 consultants with fancy marketing plans!!

And then order his practical and immensely readable book right away - it will take you gently and firmly by the hand, and guide you through the simple steps needed to get going.

And then rejoin us at The Entrepreneurial MD Blog to share your questions or comments!

Many physicians invent new devices as a result of their frustration with instruments that don't work well, or problems that must have some kind of solution. This frustration is coupled with the belief that they are the ones who have to find the solution or eliminate the annoyance!

One of the challenges for such physicians is figuring out how to materialize their ideas and then bring them to market.

At The Entrepreneurial MD, not only do I want to learn from successful physician entrepreneurs, but I am also committed to interviewing men and women who may not be physicians but who have much wisdom to share about how to accomplish certain business goals.

I had the privilege of interviewing Jim (James E.) Nicholson last year, and am using this interview to launch the "other half" of my Podcast series, called "Insights from the Professionals".

Jim is a special guy - a serial entrepreneur, an aeronautical and astronautical engineer, and holder of 38 patents (including the Venodyne compression system). In this 25-minute podcast, he outlines how he approached colleagues in healthcare to begin putting his prodigious engineering knowledge to use, to benefit patients. He also shares his experience with securing his inventions and bringing them to market.

Then join me back at The Entrepreneurial MD Blog to share your comments and questions.

What if your next successful business was right under your nose, as a result of solving a problem that has been bugging you? Would you recognize it?

Dr. David Stern is an astute business man who spotted the opportunity for his company, Practice Velocity, as soon as he began fielding inquiries and requests to learn more about the Urgent Care practice management software that he and his colleagues had created.

In this (almost!) weekly version of The Entrepreneurial MD Podcast, listen to my interview with Dr. Stern as he shares how he translated his training as a Certified Professional Coder (how many docs have the distinction of that title??) into a solution for his own urgent care centers. This was accomplished by automating their urgent care center coding through a computerized process. And how this solution mushroomed into a full-blown business providing a much needed practice management answer for urgent care centers nationally.

And then post your questions and comments, or just come and browse at The Entrepreneurial MD Blog!

During his UCLA Masters in Public Health Program, Gregory (Greg) Dorn MD MPH was drawn to many different sectors of the healthcare industry. He also knew that it was up to him to figure out which one best matched his interests and skills.

He set out to do some informational interviewing and serious networking to land his ideal job. And he accomplished this!

What made my conversation with Dr. Dorn so remarkable is that he is one of the few physicians I know who executed a perfect career-finding plan.

Most career guidance coaches and counselors recognize that the most satisfying jobs are not found through Monster.com or some other job board, or even a recruiter. Instead, they are obtained through a careful and highly strategic search process that targets ideal companies, jobs or industries and lays the groundwork for being invited to become a member of the team.

Listen to Dr. Dorn's story (28.5 minutes) in this week's podcast as I explore with him how he turned a very deliberate, intentional search for a fulfilling career into an exciting, entrepreneurial physician opportunity that has allowed him to help grow a small clinical decision support company, Zynx Health, into a clinical business large and important enough to be acquired and then maintained by Hearst Corporation. 

Pay close attention to his job search strategy - this informational interviewing works equally well for physicians with an idea for a business who want to check with potential customers if there is a real need for their product or service.

And then please come back to The Entrepreneurial MD to add your comments and browse!

The photograph on the cover of this month's issue of California Academy of Family Physicians magazine reminded me of a wonderful interview I conducted a while back with Dr Leonard (Lenny) Fromer in my Conversations with Trailblazers series. The time is right to air it for this week's podcast!

I've known Lenny since my days in clinical practice when we were colleagues in Santa Monica, and I am both awed and inspired by his significant accomplishments as a business owner (healthcare consultant) and healthcare politician (past President of the CAFP and current candidate for the American Academy of Family Physicians Board of Directors).

Lenny is a highly articulate advocate for improving the physician-patient experience and in this podcast, he shares not only his thoughts as an entrepreneur but also those as a physician dedicated to healthcare reform empowering us as physicians.

Listen to this 31-minute interview and come away inspired by Dr. Fromer's energy and passion for both entrepreneurship and healthcare politics.

When you have to catch a physician for a few minutes on a Sunday morning for an interview, you suspect he's a busy guy.

When he's a full-time clinical practitioner, prominent thought leader and a serial entrepreneur, you're not surprised.

Dr. Garrison Bliss is one such man.

As one of the former founders of Seattle Medical Associates and the current new founder, President and CMO of Qliance, Dr. Bliss has been pushing the envelope for patient-financed business models for years.

What the term "patient-financed business model" simply means is that, instead of relying on insurance as a way to pay for patient care, the providers at Qliance charge a very low monthly "membership" fee of all their patients. And I'm talking LOW! In the order of between $39 and $74 a month, depending on the patient's age.

For this fee, they provide all primary care services, as well as some basic testing (plain X-rays, EKGs, simple lab tests etc).

Critics have gone from scorn at viewing Seattle Medical Associates (Dr Garrison's earlier group that was the second group in the country to test a monthly fee membership model) as yet another concierge practice, to incredulity and doubt that Qliance can survive charging such a small monthly membership fee. Hearing the passion, conviction and clarity of Dr Bliss's thinking may make you believe otherwise!

Let Dr Bliss share his remarkable ideas and story as you listen to this week's podcast conversation with an entrepreneurial physician trailblazer. The interview is 36 minutes long - a little longer than my typical call - but I promise you it is worth your time. What Dr. Garrison is doing for health care is both revolutionary and laudable!

And then over come and join the conversation at The Entrepreneurial MD Blog.

Chris Ewin MD is a man with an opinion. Which is just what you'd hope for, coming from the President of an emerging Association of like-minded physicians.

And a sense of humor, when he describes his Association as: "....the only physician-led trade organization to represent physicians who realize that they have been working for the wrong employer for too long".

As president of the Society of Innovative Medical Practice Design (SIMPD), Chris has helped the association evolve from a loosely affiliated group of physicians and professionals, with a common interest in developing viable alternatives for medical practice models, to a much slicker physician-led organization "promoting a direct financial relationship with patients in order to restore the integrity of the patient-physician relationship".

Chris was quick to point out to me that his own private practice, 1:2:1MD, is a retainer model practice in which patients pay an annual fee based on age for unlimited access to his services - and represents just one of the several clinical practice models under the SIMPD umbrella.

Listen to this week's "The Entrepreneurial MD Podcast" interview with Chris Ewin as he shares his vision for the future of primary care, as well as those of his organization and his personal clinical practice.

Calling herself a "Private Medical Care Advisor", Dr. Delia Chiaramonte is finally reveling in the clinical practice of her dreams.

As a family physician who worked in faculty group and solo settings, Delia would probably still be limping along, suffering from a vague sense of disappointment and disillusionment with clinical practice, were it not for two events that affected her life personally.

Health problems affecting both her daughter and her best friend almost simultaneously forced her to acknowledge that navigating the health care system, even as a health professional, was a big challenge. She realized just how arduous the process was for the average person to be able to arrive at a sound medical decision or treatment plan. 

The idea of patient care advocacy was hatched!

Working in partnership with a like-minded colleague, Delia opened Insight Medical Consultants almost a year ago, and has been steadily growing her business.

Listen to this week's episode of The Entrepreneurial MD Podcast and discover how this articulate, compassionate physician has been able to leverage her medical knowledge and her negative experiences within the healthcare system to find deep satisfaction in her work. And provide a much-needed and highly-valued service to boot!

And if you prefer to read her story, click here for the interview transcript instead.

And don't forget to share any thoughts you might have in the Comments section above.

With whom do most physicians frequently hang out when it is time to relax? You'd probably be correct of you answered "other physicians".

At least this is the premise behind RelaxDoc, a new MySpace-type of social networking site exclusively for physicians.

At the helm of RelaxDoc is serial entrepreneur, former practicing medical oncologist and computer scientist Dr Myo Thant.

Not content with having created the wildly popular and well-regarded Life and Death I and II and Virtual Surgeon simulation games as well as one of the first animated EKG Primer applications in the 80's and 90's, Dr. Thant turned his attention to helping found Chesapeake Cancer Center.

However, he was unable to stay away from his beloved computer, and in May 2007, he announced that his new "baby" RelaxDoc had gone live.

Listen here to Dr. Thant share his story and his vision for RelaxDoc in The Entrepreneurial MD's podcast this week.

Watch out Mrs Fields - you have competition! And it's pretty wholesome too.

My second podcast reveals a delightful interview with Dr. Laura Trice, CEO and founder of Laura's Wholesome Junkfood based in Los Angeles, CA.

I like to think of her as the doc who said no.

Fresh out of medical school, Laura realized that she wasn't cut out for life as a practicing clinician. And faced with a great big question mark about what to do next, she embarked on a scary and intrepid journey to determine what it was she really wanted to do with her life.

How many of you got out of medical school and were not sure you wanted to continue with a residency or medical practice? I have spoken to several young physicians who have been filled with ambivalence, and yet overwhelmed by a sense of obligation and expectation that has forced them to continue despite their lack of enthusiasm. It takes a lot of insight and courage to say "No - this isn't for me" at that stage.

Well, Laura did and now, more than six years later, she is living the busy life of a company CEO, that started at the whimsical suggestion of a close friend.  Listen to her 24-minute interview now, and come away inspired by her wisdom that is quite uncanny for her relatively early years!

If you prefer to read rather than listen, click here for the transcript of the interview.

A quick reminder if you haven't listened to a podcast before:

You can either click on the player button in the little player graphic in the top right corner of the page, OR you can click on the place that says "Direct download : Interview with ......." near the bottom of the page.

Yay, another first! - I am excited to launch my first podcast, having figured out how to do it in about 40 minutes today. This techie stuff is pretty amazing, as the user interfaces have become so sophisticated that even a greenhorn like me can figure it out.

I wanted to open my "show" by sharing one of my favorite stories on a popular topic, if search engine requests are anything to go by! Concierge medicine. Only this is concierge medicine with a difference!

Dr Marty Schulman was an unhappy family physician in an academic group practice, when he paused to figure out what was wrong.

He realized he hated having to start every patient visit with an apology for being late. Or end the visit apologizing for not having enough time to discuss all the patient's concerns.

Sound familiar, anyone?

Several years later, he no longer needs to say sorry - at least not for running late or lacking time. As a solo practitioner in an innovative membership-based medical practice, he can give his patients all the time they need.

Listen to this 25-minute interview as Dr. Schulman shares the story of how he transformed himself from disgruntled doctor to enthusiastic clinician and entrepreneur.

You can download and read the transcript of this 25-minute interview here, if you prefer to read rather than listen.

And please share your thoughts about and reactions to podcasting in the comment section - I'd love to hear them!

Next week, I plan to have a podcast interview with Dr Chris Ewin, president of The Society for Innovative Medical Practice Design and owner of his own innovative practice, 1:2:1MD.