How to run a successful IVF

Clinic - mastering the art of

private practice
Dr Aniruddha Malpani, MD
Dr Anjali Malpani, MD
 Why this talk ?
IVF has become a very competitive
field today
Struggle to survive
How can you thrive ?
 The problem
Unfortunately, while doctors are
quite eager to discuss medicine,
most are unwilling to talk about the
nuts and bolts of how to run an IVF
clinic in real life
Don’t want to enrich the competition
by giving away their “trade secrets” !
We can learn together and help each
other
A doctor needs to wear many hats !
Clinician , who has polished medical skills
Academician, who is a constant learner
Manager , who understands the business aspects
of running a profitable clinic
CEO, who understands how to motivate staff and
lead people;
Financial expert, who can manage his money
Family provider
Self caretaker, who know how to look after
himself and fulfill his personal needs .
 The solution
There is no need to reinvent the
wheel
The challenges are similar all over
the world
We can learn from our colleagues
and from peers in other parts of the
world
Apply knowledge from other fields to
ours !
Being a doctor today is not easy
Do you find that there is:
too much work
too much hassle
too much competition
too much despair; and
too little reimbursement ?
Common response – work even
harder !
Run around from clinic to clinic, hospital to
hospital
Try to “expand” your practise to get more
patients
Often we are running just to remain in the
same place !
Only 24 hours in a day !
Fed up and unhappy
No time for yourself or your family
 Are you fed up of…
Long energy-exhausting hours and
crushing workloads leaving little or
no free time for yourself or your
family ?
Demanding dissatisfied patients ?
Inadequate payment for all your
hard work ?
Need to work smarter – not harder !
Need to learn tools which will:
Give you control of your time;
Allow you to do work which you felt
was worthwhile, for patients that you
enjoy seeing; and
Pay you well for your effort, so that
you enjoy going to work every day.
 Practise management skills
Every doctor is an entrepreneur
Needs to run a business
These skills are never taught in
medical college
Some doctors never learn them, and
struggle to manage their practise
5 stages of a doctor’s career
Entry, when you are starting out;
Establishment, when you have created a
name for yourself;
Exploration, when you look for new fields
to conquer;
Specialization , when you settle down in
your niche; and
Mastery, when you establish yourself as
the Expert in your area of interest.
 Specialise !
Need to carve out a niche for yourself
Shape your practise around your abilities
– you will become extremely good at
doing what you enjoy !
Don’t try to do everything – refer
patients to colleagues and juniors !
We do only IVF – refer IUI to other clinics
 Marketing
Marketing is NOT a dirty word
Doctors have always marketed
themselves
Traditionally, it has been “word of
mouth” marketing
This is still the best type, but it takes
time. This is most worthwhile
investment of your time !
 Promoting your practise
Advertising can be very expensive,
and is usually not cost effective
Public relations firms have become
very popular amongst doctors
recently
Satisfied patients are your best
marketing tool – concentrate on
keeping them happy !
 Employees !
Can be your biggest asset – as well
as your biggest problem !
Keep your employees happy, and
they will keep your patients happy
Don’t skimp on their salaries
Train them well
Key test – how well does your clinic
run when you are not there ?
 Start your own website !
Patients are hungry for reliable
information
The internet is an excellent source of
information, but a lot of this can be
wrong and dangerous
Provide reliable information to your
patients through your own website
Very cost effective !
 Prescribe information !
Spend time on educating your patients
Use as many resources as possible –
websites; printouts; books; CD-ROMs
Infertile patients appreciate this – and
you stand out amongst your peers !
 Polish your bedside manner
The most important intangible
Your patient needs to know how much
you care
Technical competence is usually taken
for granted
Simple measures – be polite; sit down
while talking to the patient; smile; don’t
interrupt !
 Non-verbal communication -
SOFTEN
S- Smile
O - Open posture
F- Forward lean
T – Touch. This is a privilege – use
it !
E – Eye contact
N - Nod
 Develop empathy
Learn from Munnabhai, MBBS
Polish your EQ skills !
A high EQ is far more important than
a high IQ
 Stress management –
Preventing Burnout
Learn to say No
Learn to take care of yourself
Balance your professional and
personal priorities
Develop a strong support system
 Become a Professional –
The Trust Equation
T = C + R + I/ S, where
T = Trustworthiness
C= Credibility
R= Reliability
I = Intimacy
S= Self-orientation
 Become a Professional –
The Trust Equation
Credibility = can your patient trust what
you say ?
Reliability = can he trust your actions,
confident that you will act honorably ?
Intimacy = is he comfortable discussing
his feelings and emotions with you ?
Self-orientation = can he trust your
motives, knowing that you care about
him, and will act in his best interests ?
The joy of practising medicine –
how to be a happy doctor
Care for your patients. Treat all your
patients like VIPs .
A healthy doctor-patient relationship
nurtures both patient and doctor !
Savor your patients. When a patient
thanks you , relish that moment.
Those moments are the real reward
for being a doctor, if you can slow
down to let them in.
 The golden rule
Patients are the practise
Everything else is just paper work !
The joy of practising medicine –
how to be a happy doctor
When it comes to getting positive
feedback, no profession in the world
comes close to medicine !
A good doctor can have the best
emotional income in the world !
Be thankful daily that you have the
opportunity for helping others –
expressing gratitude will help you
find contentment and self-worth
 One major problem
Doctors are daily wage earners
Don’t work – don’t get paid
Need to plan for the future
Develop stream of “passive income”
Learn to use other people’s time and
other people’s money to make more
money !