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.

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