Wisdom. Applied.

It’s the middle ground between light and shadow, between medical science and stupidity, and it lies between the pit of man’s desires and the summit of his bank account.

Just like hypertension, inflation is the silent killer, the hidden tax on your business, dreams, and desires.

Several years ago, I read a review in a magazine for consultants of a new book by an “expert” who advises that since business now moves at the speed of light, the “old” strategic question of “where do you want to be X years from now?” must now be “where do you want to be a few days from now?”

Just as no vote was required for a dictator like Castro to take over Cuba, no medical staff vote, no survey by Press Ganey, no long and drawn-out process among “stakeholders,” is required to topple the status quo.

Speed kills. I read it on the message board that stretched across the lanes of the highway. (I suppose that reading message boards kills, too, bu

You’re probably familiar, if not personally, then at least conceptually, with the notion of “F.U. money” – having enough money that you can simply walk away. That concept, whether you have the money or not, applies directly to your negotiation strategy.

A joke? Or can you do the equivalent right now?

Hospitals purchased physician practices, employed and otherwise aligned physicians, and pushed into outpatient care.

Breaches of fiduciary duty and of contractual commitment within medical groups occur every day. The question is, are those duties enforced?

Unless you have developed a unicorn type practice or healthcare business, you need to adjust to the new reality.

The value of the services received by a patient can only be assessed from her point of view, not the hospital’s.

“Bob, we’ve got to give you your two weeks notice. Here’s a check for the next two weeks’ compensation. Just pack your personal belongings and Jerry, here, will see you to the door.”

Listen while Mark discusses converting a closed or failing hospital into a surgery center or other outpatient facility.

Do you know this key to negotiation? The key that will open the door to a done deal, a deal that delivers on your wants?

If you were going to sell your house, you’d make sure that it’s put into decent or even prime shape before listing it, right?

Running a hospital based group as “service” for the hospital, functioning as a sort of clearinghouse for income and expenses, severely limits your group’s future.

If you're a medical group leader, you must view your practice as consisting of several independent, yet coordinated, units, each of which requires a separate focus.

Ford focused on keeping things simple, building one model that (had to) suit all, using interchangeable parts that relatively unskilled workers could assemble.

If you're a medical group leader, you must view your practice as consisting of several independent, yet coordinated, units, each of which requires a separate focus.

Airlines have figured out that there are different customers who are flying for different reasons and at different price points. They’ve also figured out that some are willing to travel in a slightly different style. And yes, there's an analogy here to healthcare.

Will today’s physicians soon be referred to as “human physicians” or “carbon-based docs” as opposed to the silicon-based kind? Paging Dr. Robot?

I knew that I had taken the wrong job after my first day at the firm. More than thirty years have passed, so now I can laugh about it. But back then, I thought I was screwed.

ASCs can be great investments for physicians. Oh, as long as they are real. But if all they are are rainbows, unicorns, and clear blue skies, then you’d better stay away.

Letting each partner write his or her terms of partnership is not a long-term strategy for success, it’s a short-term strategy for failure.

Perhaps you've carefully structured your medical group's relationships with hospitals, referral sources, and other influencers. But did you pay attention to what's going on inside your practice's own house?