We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tiffany Di Pietro a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Tiffany , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about how you went about setting up your own practice and if you have any advice for professionals who might be considering starting their own?
From day one, I knew that I wanted to have my own medical practice. Unlike most physicians who would rather be employed and only focus on “the medicine”, I always felt that being a great physician meant being available, being communicative and having a welcoming environment for my patients.
As one could imagine, setting up and establishing your own private medical practice is not an easy feat. There are insurance contracts, building codes, state licenses, federal licenses, equipment and staffing. But- what was very easy for me was stepping back and saying to myself “what will a patient see?” and “what would make a patient feel comfortable here?” I had to remember that while the regulatory things were obviously important, what would keep my patients (clients) returning time and time again was how they felt both in my office and leaving my office. A friendly, personable staff who answers calls directly (not a prompt), a pleasant office scent, fresh “non-office” furniture and comfortable aesthetic were all paramount to comfort and ease. Also- I never hang any medical literature or information on the walls. Why? Because as it is patients are already scared they have something wrong with them when they come in. Reading a poster on heart attacks or strokes will not ease that tension- it will make it a thousand times worse.
My advice- go for it and take the plunge. Opening a practice was the hardest and yet the most rewarding thing I have ever done. The most important thing anyone could do in any business is remove themselves from the picture- step back and say “if I was a client, what would be appealing to me and retain me as a customer?”
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am a concierge internal medicine and cardiology physician. I graduated medical school at 23 years old and opened a private practice by 29 years old. I pride myself on getting to know my patients in a welcoming environment. I do not employ nurse practitioners or physician assistants. My practice is that of an “old school” doctor, where I spend upwards of 30to 45 minutes with my patients and take pride in knowing a little bit about each of them as an individual. I am able to do this by limiting the insurances I take and offering a “concierge model” service where patients pay an annual fee to be a part of a much smaller, boutique practice. My patients are not a number to me, they are a part of my extended family.
Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?
Knowing how to communicate effectively with people! In medical school, they teach us to “talk to everyone the same”. I disagree wholeheartedly with that statement. We should all give everyone the same respect and treat them the same, but the way we communicate with people should vary from to person to person. Different cultural backgrounds, religions and economic statuses cause great discrepancies in knowledge base, medical decision making (culture has a large impact on this) and openness to new ideas and concepts. When we understand someone’s background, where they came from, what their life is like, we are able to communicate more effectively and achieve a better relationship for the future.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
“Slow and steady wins the race”. When I was first starting my concierge business, I assumed that it would take off quickly. It did not and I am glad it didn’t! Because of the slow and steady growth, I built my business on word-of-mouth referrals, which in the medical community is the best there is. When a patient is referred by a friend or family member, there is almost an automatic trust which is established, which is not the case if I am found through a google search or an insurance book of providers. Also, maintaining the promise I made to my patients to always be available to them would not have been possible if I grew my practice over night. By growing slow and steady, I was able to add a few new patients a month, allowing me time to get to know them as individuals without feeling the stress of having ten new patients in a day.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.CardiologyFtLauderdale.com
- Instagram: @DrTiffanyDiPietro
- Facebook: @DrTiffanyDiPietro
- Twitter: @HeartDrTiffany