I left the hospital environment to focus on the business side of private practice healthcare because as my career unfolded I didn’t identify as much with the relatively slower moving, bureaucratic tendencies of larger healthcare organizations.  I just wasn’t as fired up as I wanted to be and really felt I needed to follow my bliss in order to be most effective - and most happy.  I thought this would not only make me a better, happier person, but it would also allow me to do better work.  Work that I was passionate about.

It was ironic that the healthcare organization that I worked for, that I ultimately left due to dissatsifaction with my long-term prospects, also taught me to be vision driven and mission essential - the characteristics that helped me realize that I needed to leave.

The first time I heard the term “mission essential” was from one of our executives, in a strategy meeting in which the feasibility of a new program was being discussed.  The program wasn’t a money maker, and in a time of increasing pressures to maintain margins, this type of discussion didn’t often fare well for non bread-winning propositions.  It wasn’t until the executive made a statement, with confidence, that the program was “mission essential” and consistent with the organization’s long term vision for service to the community, that the program was given the consideration it needed to stay alive.  After a few simple, yet powerful words from the executive as to the mission and vision basis for the program, buy-in from the team was granted and the program stayed.

For me, this was a poignant moment in my career.  I’ve always had a fair business sense, and feel like my balance between the clinical and business sides of healthcare has allowed me a unique perspective on the industry; but to see the essence of a healthcare organization’s mission override the bottom line of an unprofitable program cemented my understanding of the importance of the mission and vision of our businesses, especially in the healthcare industry.

We, of course, must stay profitable in order to survive, but having a solid and unwavering mission that guides us will allow us to provide mission essential care to those that would otherwise go without, even if it must sometimes be done at a loss.  If allowed to work in this way, this type of mission essential and vision driven philosophy will form strong impetus for the creation of the profit centers we need to keep our doors open in order to fulfill the missions and visions we set forth.

More and more I’m seeing healthcare practices (medical, dental, physical therapy, optometry, etc.) getting really entrepreneurial about their business models.  Most of this is born out of necessity in order to find ways to stay profitable, but some of it comes from clinicians making the decision to run their practices in a way consistent with their passions, interests, and lifestyle.

There is a lot to be learned from a client of mine who is starting up a practice.  She is really doing things right.  When developing her business concept she knew early on that she wanted her practice to be different, and truly wanted to enjoy the way she spent her time each and every day.  She began with a mission and vision for her practice model, and has crafted everything else around it.  From brand position, to information systems, to software selection, to interior design, to financial modeling, she has built a practice that all ties back to her mission and vision.  This is the first step in creating a business that lasts.

There are some very practical things she is doing right as well.  She is putting a great team of business advisors and experts around her and has allowed us all to provide her with direction and guidance.  She realizes that this is a team effort, and the better the team, the better the end result.  Financially she is sound, and has secured the necessary operating capital to get her through several months of operations based on “worst-case” scenarios.  And regarding her patient clientele, she is pounding the pavement in order to build up her caseload months before the doors even open.  She will be successful for the long term, and it’s because she’s acting not only like a clinician, but also like an entrepreneur.

I read an article today that started me thinking about the client above, and it was about an entrepreneurship forum in Kansas in which business owners were learning about how to plan for success for the long haul.  Interestingly, one of the speakers at the entrepreneurship forum was a founder of a medical group.  This is exciting to me, as I believe that entrepreneurship within healthcare is the answer to many the problems that befall us in this industry.  Private practice owners need to become entrepreneurial in their approach to business practices in order to make significant shifts in payment models, service offerings, and cost reduction.  I’m really glad to see that entrepreneurship in healthcare is being used to educate others through this healthcare panelist, and I especially love to see it within the clients I work with day to day.

Three successful Wichita service-based entrepreneurs told a story of faith Thursday at Wichita State University’s Center for Entrepreneurship.

Have a business idea, believe in it, find people who complement your talents and establish a brand, said business owners in medicine, advertising and investment.

Joseph Galichia, founder of Galichia Medical Group; Sonia Greteman, chief executive of Greteman Group; and Corporate Lodging Consultants founder Barry Downing were the speakers at WSU’s final spring entrepreneurship forum.

The advice-oriented session focused on what makes a service-based business go, something the three panelists largely agreed on.

I’m a runner.  I’ve had plenty of periods where I don’t run for a while, but I always come back to it, and it’s always for the same reasons. 

Nothing makes me feel quite the same as I do after putting in a 5 miler.  I breathe deeper, get good time alone with my thoughts, feel better during the day, and on and on.  At the same time, nothing is quite as difficult to stay consistent with as running 5 days a week. 

As I was running the other morning, I began thinking about some of my private practice clients, and how in many ways they face a similar challenge.  Just as I always feels good when I’m done running, I’ve found that many private practice owners have the same feeling when they’re “done” with a big project, “done” with the startup phase of their practice and finally have the doors open, and “done” with getting a big bank loan finalized. 

Being “done” always feels good, whether running the streets, or running a practice, but the process of reaching that end goal isn’t always a whole lot of fun.  As much as I love running, it’s not really the feeling of being out of breath, the constant pounding that I feel with each step, or the burning in my legs that makes it worthwhile.  It’s the feeling of accomplishment that is achieved when I put each of those tiny steps, deep breaths, and aches and pains together over a period of months and years to achieve personal accomplishments that can be obtained in no other way.

When I work with a client, I spend a lot of time discussing vision, personality, lifestyle, values, and a lot of other stuff that doesn’t have an immediate tie to the bottom line.  The reason for this is that running a private practice, like a 5am running routine, is only going to be successful if it lasts for a really long time, and the only way to achieve this by tapping in to motivation, experience, and vision.  To do this, I use the same techniques to keep myself running that I do with my private practice clients: Stay focused on the end objective, always be prepared for bad weather, break each session (project) up into bite-sized milestones, enjoy the journey, and don’t go it alone.

I’ve found that when these elements are taken into account along the way, the bottom line usually falls right into place.