ROAMD - Hosted by Dr. Scott Pope

We've all encountered behavioral health cases that seem to evade everyone's best efforts. Even more likely is that we've treated patients as first degree connections of such cases. When we're truly focused on above and below the neck medicine as two halves of the same whole, there is a different sense of responsibility to help even when our patient might not be the one with the primary illness. My guest on this exceptional episode is Diana Clark, JD, MA, Chief of Clinical Operations with O'Connor Professional Group. Diana eloquently shares her journey into concierge care that originated with a front row seat to her physician father, the late and distinguished Dr. Leon Rosenberg, suffering through a long battle with bipolar disorder. Diana witnessed the severe ripples unaddressed mental illness sends through a family and has since, through efforts with O'Connor Professional Group, advanced her life's work to help the patients, families, and support networks who all suffer from the ravages of sub-optimally managed mental health issues get the needed support they all deserve. One sage piece of advice offered in this episode is to ask your patients what their coping strategies are for the most difficult times in their lives. This episode has a lesson for everyone to learn.  Please call 988 if you or someone you know is struggling with suicide or emotional distress. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a United States-based suicide prevention network of over 200+ crisis centers that provides 24/7 service via a toll-free hotline with the number 9-8-8. It is available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.

One of the core tenants of every concierge medicine practice is prioritizing prevention over treatment. Getting in front of chronic illness before it becomes such creates a better patient experience, produces better outcomes, and ultimately reduces the overall costs for the entire healthcare system. The leading cause of death in the United States is still heart disease. Yes, even in the face of a pandemic, heart disease outpaced COVID-19 deaths by more than two-fold in 2020. My guest on this episode is the Founder and CEO of Cleerly Dr. Jim Min. Cleerly has created a predictive, personalized, and tracked approach to measure atherosclerosis, the true predictor of heart attacks. In this episode, Dr. Min, a prolific contributor to the medical literature and board-certified cardiologist, shares his personal journey through the trenches of traditional medicine where the primary method for assessing heart attack risk isn't measuring actual disease itself but relying on surrogate markers. Jim's efforts through Cleerly aim to remedy this approach and truly give physicians and patients actual assessments of disease above and beyond just the status quo surrogate markers from the past. Whether you're a concierge physician or a patient of one, you will surely enjoy this episode.

Having difficulty deciding if a DPC or more of a concierge model is the right fit for you? My guests on this episode, Dr. Joel Bessmer and his son Ryne Bessmer, operate both a DPC and a concierge practice in Omaha, Nebraska. Ryne and Joel share their insights and experience running their practices and how they reach different audiences with a shared purpose. Dr. Bessmer's experience in membership-based medicine, or as he calls is relationship-based medicine, is deep and varied originating back to 2007 in a model under the University of Nebraska Medical Center's umbrella; he has since flourished in this space and is a leading voice in the industry. Ryne and Dr. Bessmer also co-host a podcast titled Beyond the Script that educates healthcare consumers on complex medical topics by simplifying them in lay language. We couldn't pass up the opportunity to co-host, co-promote, and cross pollinate with both of our audiences.This episode is equal parts enlightening, entertaining, and inspiring. The firsthand experiences shared in this episode are well worth the listen for audiences of all walks of life. Enjoy!

There is no single right or wrong way to arrive at a fulfilling career in concierge medicine. In this episode, Dr. Phil Lackey with Signature Healthcare in Charlotte, North Carolina shares his unique path from an acute care infectious diseases specialist into concierge medicine. An all too common scenario was unfolding in Phil's medical career when the industrial engine of acute care medicine brought him to the brink of burnout. That's when a fortuitous shadowing experience with Signature Healthcare's Dr. Jordan Lipton gave Phil the much needed glimpse into the next chapter of his career. This episode is enlightening for current concierge practices and acute care physicians alike. If you're with a concierge practice seeking your next physician hire...Phil's pedigree is a new place from which to recruit. Additionally, if you're an inpatient physician at your breaking point with traditional factory medicine...Phil's path offers new perspective toward rediscovering your passion for long-term, rewarding career in medicine. Everyone is sure to find value in this episode of the ROAMD Podcast. 

The industry definition of physician burnout is written in a way that implies concierge physicians should not experience it. However, that's simply not the case. My wonderful guest on this episode is Dr. Stacey Robinson, physician & Founder of Robinson MD in St. Petersburg, Florida. Dr. Robinson shares her journey into concierge medicine that began as a resident in the Air Force and quickly led to a burnout environment. Her journey then evolved through private practice, group practice, urgent care, and even an HMO. Having seen so many facets of healthcare, ultimately she started Robinson MD from scratch and hung her shingle. During our conversation, Stacey graciously shares her ~15 years of experience running a concierge practice and how several decisions over the years created a situation primed for physician burnout. Two of the biggest take-aways Dr. Robinson shares:Don't feel guilty about patients leaving the practice because, "you don't have to take care of everyone." When you try to, this leads to burnout. Eliminating isolation (i.e. finding her tribe) gave the courage and actionable steps to redesign the practice for her longevity. Every concierge, DPC, and private practice physician should learn from the lessons Stacey shares in this impactful episode of the ROAMD Podcast. 

Whether it relates to accessing reliable information in the face of an emerging pandemic or informing on new diagnostic modalities or ensuring the highest levels of patient care continuity, the value of international collaboration for membership-based medicine physicians is undeniable. To that end, I was finally able to welcome my first international guest to the ROAMD Podcast. My dazzling guest on this episode is Dr. Amarjit Raindi, physician and founder of The Concierge Clinic in London, UK. Dr. Raindi shares a wide range of real-life experiences where the peer support from a trusted global network of like-minded physicians benefitted his practice, his patients, his own mental health, and more. We're definitely stealing Dr. Raindi's term "soft knowledge of preferences" when it comes to interpersonal relationships with our patients and using that knowledge to create impeccable, bespoke patient experiences. Amarjit's soothing demeanor ensures the avid and new listener alike will thoroughly enjoy this episode.

Eleanor Roosevelt said, "Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make them all yourself.” For membership medicine physicians, there is no exception to this rule. To dive deeper into this topic, Dr. Jonathan Schmidt with Priority Physicians joins me to share his experiences where having a network of likeminded physicians has been priceless.Jonathan clearly articulates several scenarios involving the COVID-19 pandemic, 2nd opinions in many facets of clinical practice and big decisions in life, and patient referrals from both near and afar where his network of likeminded physicians have dramatically improved his patient care. Jonathan is also quick to point out the mental health benefits of a close physician network that help prevent physician burnout on a number of fronts from covering for family vacations and call to simply eliminating the, all too common, sense of isolation in private practice. 

Screening and onboarding new patients as well as new physicians are imperative tasks to get right for every membership medicine practice. Dr. Joe Repay with Wellspan Medical Services in Naples, Florida was a panelist at the 2021 ROAMD Annual Meeting in October where we discussed these very topics. Dr. Repay is the perfect guest for this episode as we recount a few of his top takeaways from that session at the meeting. How do you remove the physician as the bottleneck in patient screening? How can you more formally involve the office staff in the patient screening process? What are a few tricks of the trade when screening physician candidates before extending them a formal offer to join your practice? What are ways to teach a new physician the art of concierge medicine without crossing the line on telling them how to practice medicine? These are just a few of the pivotal questions we answer in this great episode of the ROAMD Podcast that you're certain to enjoy.

In this very special episode of the ROAMD Podcast we invite our listeners into the 2021 ROAMD Annual Meeting. Here we feature segments from a panel presentation with three very unique membership-based medicine practices addressing questions around Annual Exams follow-through and how their practices are utilizing nutritionists and dieticians. Our panelists are Dr. Amanda Wulfstat with Private Medical, Dr. Ari Levy with Shift, and Dr. Cari Dawson with the Colorado Center for Medical Excellence.This panel was very well complimented by a presentation from the CEO of Companion Health Nathalie Jorge. Nathalie shares her related experience in employing health coaches to extend the reach of their practice and enhance the quality of their patient care. You are certain to enjoy this special episode of the ROAMD Podcast.

If there was a straightforward way to attract your ideal patients, while warding off the less than ideal patients, and simultaneously minimizing the need to be a salesperson...would you do it? If so, this will be your favorite episode of the ROAMD Podcast. My guest on this episode is the supremely authentic Dr. Aaron Wenzel, founder and physician at Brentwood MD in Nashville, Tennessee. Dr. Wenzel shares his firsthand experience deploying Results in Advance as an extremely effective and efficient way to market his practice and attract his ideal patients while converting the "selling process" into an "order taking" process.There is arguably no better vertical to deploy this marketing concept than in membership-based medicine; Aaron's results are a testament to this fact. During this episode you'll hear how Brentwood MD uses Results in Advance in content marketing to help ideal prospective patients solve their unique healthcare problems even before they become actual patients. This is a must-listen episode for every concierge and direct primary care physician bar none.

Proteomics is a rapidly evolving and emerging vertical in the diagnostics domain. To help our audience get smarter on proteomics, we invited Dr. Roy Smythe, CEO of SomaLogic to share his expertise. Dr. Smythe shares with us that, where genomics focuses on the rather static genetic make up of a patient, proteomics dials in on the proteins arising from the genetic profile. These proteins are more widely variable, can change significantly over a patient's lifetime, and can be predictive of risk in a variety of diseases. Enjoy this episode where Dr. Smythe shares more of his real-world experience with proteomics and details a patient case where proteomics defied the highly educated medical eye to uncover a ticking time bomb of cardiovascular risk. 

In this can't miss episode, Dr. Susan Wilder, Founder and CEO of LifeScape in Scottsdale, Arizona, shares her very personal stories of surgical preparedness gone awry. Despite her extensive medical training, Susan uncovered a difficult truth in the least desirable way regarding her own lack of surgical preparedness as a patient. She shares even more stories about family members encountering issues that could have been prevented with more attention in the pre-operative stage. Empowered with the knowledge, and firsthand patient experience, Dr. Wilder created a complete online program, called Optimize Surgery, and a companion book, Secrets to Surgery Success: Take Charge and Heal Faster, that empower physicians and patients alike to get ahead in improving surgical outcomes.

In this episode, we dive into the inner workings of a membership-based medicine clinic from inside the nation's 6th largest health system, Trinity Health. My exceptional guest is Dr. Bill Baer with Mercy Health Concierge Medicine in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Bill starts by sharing details of his journey into concierge medicine after starting off as a pharmacist. You might be surprised to hear who the biggest influencers were in driving him away from traditional fee-for-service care models. How dramatic are the differences in Dr. Baer's practice compared to an independent model? Should we expect more and more membership-based medicine models to pop-up across the Trinity Health network? What are Dr. Baer's perspectives on the future of membership-based medicine? Join this episode to hear those answers and much more.

You are familiar with the concept of food deserts and probably even education deserts. But what about diagnostic deserts? Join this episode with my lively guest Dr. Barry Rotman, physician and founder at Barry Rotman MD in Walnut Creek, California as we unpack the concept of diagnostic deserts. Barry's journey into membership medicine began with political science before medicine and eventually an homage to his father's rigorous dental practice pulled him out of group practice and into membership-based medicine. Ultimately, time spent delivering medical acupuncture through his group practice highlighted the significant patient-time required to uncover what was truly ailing them. From insomnia to adverse drug events, Dr. Rotman shares his decades of experience solving diagnostic desert cases and how membership-based medicine practices are uniquely positioned to solve these problems. You're going to thoroughly enjoy this episode!

If you have ever wanted insights on how a membership-based medicine practice runs inside an academic medical center, this is the episode for you. Dr. John Paat with Duke Private Diagnostic Clinic in Durham, North Carolina shares his experiences from one of the world's most renown academic medical facilities. Growing up watching his father care for patients as a PCP was very instructive and influential in bringing John into concierge medicine. Now as a concierge physician at Duke, do patients of his concierge clinic receive preferred treatment and access to care? Does his practice have a leg up on independents because of the academic affiliation? Are his opportunities to teach students and residents highly compensated time? Listen to this insightful episode for those answers and much more. 

This is an episode of the ROAMD podcast that is simply not to be missed! Dr. Ari Levy with Shift in Chicago shares his fascinating story of how he was inspired as an adolescent to create a dynamic where, as a primary caregiver "if you're good, you're listening." Ari has since gone on to create a membership-based medicine practice that is individual centric, quality focused, and institution agnostic. At Shift, the patient's first visit is ~6-8 hours to ensure they're getting to know every patient as an individual and uncovering barriers that may prevent the highest quality outcomes from the start. The multidisciplinary team at Shift includes physicians, nurses, physical therapists, dietitians, tissue pliability experts, and more.  In this episode, you will also hear details on the physical space created at Shift to intentionally garner a sense of community with a focus on building "wellth."  Be sure to catch the advice Dr. Levy received from one of his patients and he now lives by that starts with, "Life is chaos, so the most important thing is..."

It is all too easy to undervalue yourself as a physician. In this essential episode, Dr. Jordan Lipton, physician and partner at Signature Healthcare in Charlotte, North Carolina gives very seasoned and measured insight into the pricing dilemmas faced by all membership-based medicine physicians. Knowing when and how much to raise your prices is just as important as knowing how to communicate the prices and any changes. Dr. Lipton goes into great detail around how they've navigated these uncomfortable waters that far too many membership-based medicine physicians steer past.

Dr. Matt Priddy with Priority Physicians in Indianapolis is my delightfully entertaining guest on this episode. Dr. Priddy leans on his ~20 years of experience as a membership-medicine physician to illuminate the top 4 misconceptions of becoming a DPC/concierge doctor. Is this model of care just for those physicians who want more tee times, a cherry picked patient panel, and to run a practice that only succeeds on the strengths of a lone wolf? Listen in as Matt graciously shares his wisdom on those very points and much more. (Note: You have to bring your own M&M's and Scotch to this episode.)

Hold on tight for this episode with my highly acclaimed guest Dr. Jordan Shlain with Private Medical. Dr. Shlain tells his exquisite journey that ventures from medicine to art from Swahili to a language of culture from HMO medallions to membership medicine and much, much more. After a grueling experience that left him completely disenfranchised with traditional models of primary care, Dr. Shlain sat down for a cup of tea. Listen closely as he shares the chance encounter that set him on the path forever changing his medical career for the better.

Growing up in a medical family, Dr. Vivek Sinha, Founder and Medical Director of Belleview Medical Partners in Alexandria, Virginia, brings an insider's perspective to running a membership-based medicine practice. What goes in to setting a price and package system for your practice? What experts do you consult as you're getting started? How important is the family dynamic in forming and running a successful company? Dr. Sinha opines on these essential topics and more in this paramount episode of the ROAMD podcast. 

Dr. Radley Griffin, founder and CEO of Griffin Concierge Medical in Tampa, Florida, is my impeccable guest on this episode. Radley shares his journey of transitioning away from "churn and burn" medicine into a membership-based medicine model that started with zero patients. Since 2008, Dr. Griffin and his wife, Lauren, have now successfully grown their practice to span ~1,000 patients across three physicians and one physician assistant. Don't miss Radley's entertaining story of being invited to dinner by his first two prospective patients and how he reacted. 

This episode is an unquestionable home run! My exceptional guests are Dr. Mark Niedfeldt, owner of Mark Niedfeldt, MD outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Dr. Jason Littleton, founder and CEO of Littleton Concierge Medicine near Orlando, Florida. There is so much more than meets the eye with these two practices that may appear to have sharp contrasts on their surfaces. Leave your traditional perception of what divides DPC and concierge practices at the door as you enjoy this can't miss episode of the ROAMD podcast. 

My guest on this episode, Dr. Carlos Jorge, co-founder and Chief Medical Officer at Companion Health in Charlotte, North Carolina, shares his top 5 considerations when converting away from "an insurance laden" practice into a membership-based medicine model. Having recently converted his own practice, Dr. Jorge's insights are fresh, practical, and invaluable for any physician contemplating, or in the midst of, the same shift.  Don't miss the moment of levity when he shares the biggest "mistake" and "surprise" he encountered on his journey.

My guest Dr. Jordan Lipton, physician & partner at Signature Healthcare in Charlotte, North Carolina, shares his nearly 20 years of experience in membership-based medicine to quickly dispel some of the most common industry misconceptions. Non-stop calls at all hours of the night, sacrificing philanthropic care, patients demanding inappropriate care for themselves...listen to this episode to hear Dr. Lipton's experience with these topics and more. Be sure not to miss Dr. Lipton's perspective on international membership-based medicine practices as well. 

My outstanding guest on this episode is Dr. Cari Dawson, co-founder of the Colorado Center of Medical Excellence in Denver, Colorado. Here we discuss the many impacts COVID-19 had on membership-based medicine practices. Dr. Dawson concisely unpacks the ways membership-based medicine practices were better prepared for the COVID-19 pandemic, how they rallied the power of their physician community, and kept the steady course of being the ultimate advocate for their patients at every possible turn. Don't miss Dr. Dawson's thoughts on the things she would do differently regarding the pandemic if given the chance.

My guest Dr. James Pinckney II with Diamond Physicians in Dallas, Texas shares his knowledge of building and sustaining a remarkable brand. Paying attention to details, crafting a brand that's authentic, approachable, and true to you as a person are just a few of his essential messages from this episode. Be sure to catch the biggest branding mistakes Dr. James feels he has made along the way.

My guest on this episode is the incomparable Charisse Fazzari, Director of Practice Experience with Private Medical. Charisse brings her expertise from the luxury hotel industry into healthcare and it seamlessly delivers the impeccable patient experience every consumer wants. Listen as Charisse shares her insights on how they make the magic happen in every patient encounter. 

Dr. Yumi Ando with Yumi Ando MD shares her personal journey into concierge practice and concisely addresses why physicians choose, and remain in, concierge practice.  In Dr. Ando's signature calming and graceful tone, she quickly dispels the notion that money drives physicians to concierge practice and instead cites dramatically improved relationships with patients, enhanced work-life balance, and a model designed with physician longevity as a priority.

Our guests Drs. Jeffrey Puglisi and Ralph Cipriani from Glenville Medical Concierge Care in Greenwich, CT share their stories of starting and running a concierge practice. They dive into the importance of their delivery model in maintaining the highest level of patient care, while allowing self-care to also be a priority, during the pandemic. Original recording of this episode was in October 2020.