DNP Ep. 63: Starting your own medical practice as a NP with Dr. E from EG Healthcare

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: Dr. E, welcome to the podcast today. I’m so happy to have you on. Welcome.

Dr. E:  Thank you. It’s an honor to be on. I really appreciate it.

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: Yeah. So let’s dive right in to kind of tell my guest exactly what it is that you do. What’s your job title and kind of how do you see your role day to day?

Dr. E: I do nothing. No, I’m just kidding. I just wanted to make sure everybody’s awake. I so I guess I would at this point call myself. So I’m a family nurse practitioner with a PhD in integrative medicine, which is why I’m called Dr. E cuz my full name is a frat LaMondre and really no one can pronounce that, So I guess at this point I would call myself a medical entrepreneur. I have four different businesses, which we’ll get into. So at this point, in order to encompass all of it, I would have to say I’m a medical entrepreneur.

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: We’ll start there. Yeah. . Yeah. That’s good. I like that title. Thanks. And that’s like the first time I think I’ve ever had a nurse practitioner call themselves that.

So that’s really, really cool. And a def a different, like mindset change. So I guess I kind of wanna hear what all your businesses are. [00:01:00] Just take us through like the litany of things and the different hats you’re wearing these

Dr. E: days. Okay. So To tell you like what they are. I’ll just walk you through the journey because each one came out of a problem then, then I wanted to solve, and then I decided to make a business out of it.

So basically that’s the trajectory. So, I started as mostly listeners have as a nurse, med surg, then er trauma and all that good stuff. Yeah. And then I became an np. And I worked for two places, a community health center that specialized for in the underserved population, which was amazing because clinically you have to really be on point because you can’t just order 50,000 labs, Right?

Doesn’t exist. And and I also worked in a, like an ortho pain practice. And what I realized really quickly, Is that I don’t do well working for other people. , if you ask me why I started all of it is because I, I just don’t do well working for other people. I don’t like being told what to do. Yeah. And I didn’t realize at that point that that meant I have an entrepreneurial spirit.

I just [00:02:00] realized that it just, I found it really restricting, like punch in and punch out. I think you alluded to that earlier and that whole requesting time off. All of it, it just didn’t resonate. So I used to get used to get in trouble a lot, but I didn’t realize that that just meant I wasn’t supposed to be somewhere else.

So I so that community based center, I said to my wife, I said, You know, we could do this. I feel like we could do this in New York. Cause this was in New Jersey. Let’s just open up a practice. And it happened to be that everything is divine intervention. I got a phone call. From my kid’s old pediatrician and she said, Hey, I heard you’re nurse practitioner and I love nurse practitioners, and I’m retiring.

What do you think about buying my practice? And I was like, as luck would have it, I was just wanted to open up my own practice. So yeah, let’s do it. Yeah. What’s crazy is I decided to do it without looking into it at all, not realizing that I need a collaborating position. And I was like, Yeah, sure.

Let’s, let’s have this transaction [00:03:00] of which I have no idea what I’m doing. Let me sign this paper, , let me, let me, let me get your office and rent it. Even though it had like, Wallpaper and like disgusting carpeting and I have no idea what I’m doing. Sure. This is a great idea, . Cause my wife is like, Oh, okay.

So what you need is faith in God and a really good partner. This is all you need. Yes. So anyway, so I, I opened those practice and quickly got a collaborating physician and six months later the law changed and we no longer needed them.

So, Phew. On that. See? Yeah. , I see. And when I opened up, I went to the physician down the street and I said, Hey, just letting you know I’m opening up here, taking over for this doctor. And by the way, I don’t mean to step on any toes. You know, it’s all good. And he said, Oh no. In fact, I plan to retire next year and I would like you to buy me out

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: So wait, so now you bought two practices.

Dr. E: So now I bought two practices. I moved the first practice into, I bought the building of the second one and I, and I moved the first practice into the second one.

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: Okay. Wait a minute and I’ll stop you really quick. Go ahead. So how did you afford the building? Did you just take off a mortgage?

Dr. E: Okay. You took a private ticket. Yeah, I took a mortgage. Yeah, yeah, yeah, of course. So, the first one, the first one was like a rental agreement, so I was able to manage it and then I paid for the equipment. By the way, for those of you who are wondering what it looks like to buy a practice, you can’t really buy a practice.

Because you can’t really buy patients that’s illegal. So you make a transaction over a good to know. Right? Yeah. Good to know. Yeah. So you make the transaction either over a building or over equipment because patients can go wherever they want to go. Right. So you are hoping that the practice that you purchase, that people will stay with you, but there’s no g.

Ah, okay. A little pearl there. Clinical. Yeah, that is a little pearl . For those, you thinking of buying someone out whatev, they will, the seller will often tell you, Hey, this is what my practice is worth, and that’s meaningless. That’s not the price you pay because that, how did worth you that out?

I don’t know. Blind luck, . Okay. Wait, so that was the price. It was more from a space of, it was more from a space of like, [00:05:00] Well, I don’t have what you’re offering. At the time, I wasn’t savvy, like right now, I know cuz I’ve bought more practices since then. But at the time I was like, Well that’s a great number.

I don’t have it. Goodbye like truly. Innocent. And then they came back and were like, Well, how about this? And I was like, Oh yeah, that, that works. That never works. Oh. But I’ve, I’ve later come to discover that someone will say, Hey, I make a million dollars a year. My practice is worth a million dollars. No, it’s not.

Your practice is worth a million dollars with you in it, with you generating it. But there’s no guarantee. You can’t, you’re not selling me that. Okay. So there’s no guarantee. So that’s, that’s not what it’s worth at all. So it, it’s actually a made up number. You can make up any number you. Yeah. Yeah. It’s like a garage sale and it’s Yeah, it’s a garage.

Exactly. Right. It was, That’s a great analogy. Like, yeah, it was worth 200 for you to buy that guitar, but right now it’s worth $5 to me. You want it great. It’s exactly how to approach it. Yeah. And that seller could take it or leave it also, but there really is no, there’s people who calculate formulas. It’s, it’s not real interesting.

So, yeah. So then I going up, the second part is I just, we had the [00:06:00] transaction over the building. Oh, okay. So the rental

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: for the equipment and now the mortgage for the building. Now

Dr. E: I purchased the building. Okay. Right. And then there is, and you know there is, there’s habit, right? People go to the same place and usually if just because there’s a new provider in town, they’ll usually give it a try.

And as long as you’re good, they’ll stay more or less. Some people will leave. Yeah. But more or less people go to the same place, have gone for the past 20 years. Right. So, yeah. So when you’re buying a building with a. Unless you’re horrible, you’re gonna keep most of those patients. And both of them were pediatric practices and I turned them into families.

So now I was able to turn to the parents and say, Hey, you know, I could see you also, which is the advantage nurse practitioners have cuz we are certified and family. I could see the whole fam. Yeah. Right. Whereas before it was a pediatrician, he couldn’t see the adults, but now I can. So we were quickly able to grow the practice.

. And then another provider reached out to me and she said she wants to retire. And I’m, by this point now I’m a mogul. So my two practices mogul . Glad you realized that was a joke. . So I’m [00:07:00] a boss now, so I’m like huge bosses. Exactly. Glad you recognized . I’ve just entered the room. Thank you. Mm-hmm. . So.

So again, with her, she had this crazy number and I was like, Great, good luck. That’s not gonna work out for me. And not from a space of being like a negotiator, just from a space of, I don’t have that kind of money. And a year later she came back to me because no one had what you asked for. And she’s like, How about this number?

And I was like, Perfect, let’s go. So I brought her practice into the building that I’m in. Okay.

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: So did you buy her building or buy her rental today?

Dr. E: No, We, I had also like over her equipment. We came to a number of her equipment. I talk, I took a lot of, like her auto scopes, a lot of things that are rather expensive to get and it didn’t, you know, so I took a lot of her equipment and

she sent a letter to her patient saying, Hey, I’m retiring. This is who I’m recommend. So it’s a recommendation. And if you need, for those of you who are staying great, this is her new address. For those of you who don’t want, she will be the one managing the charts and people who wanted their records.

Whatever. My team managed that. Wow. [00:08:00] And that was kind of the, how she transitioned. Most patients stayed. Some asked for their records, we gave it to them. You know, cuz you can’t. Right. And that’s, And you shouldn’t be able to. Right. You would never want, That’s not a good idea. But for just that letter of, Hey, this is who I recommend, here’s her address.

Was worth the entire transaction. Wow. Cuz most people go where the doctor that they trust recommends. So the moral of the story is, one, you can’t buy practice. Two, don’t be scared when they give you a big price. Just walk away. And don’t be scared that you can’t fill a doctor’s shoes because you can.

Mm-hmm. . Because you’re awesome. Yeah. And you’re gonna do everything right for your patients. So don’t be scared. I, You know what,

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: I love those little pearls because again, there are nurse practitioners listening that are thinking, trying to process through, like what does that look like? How do, how to get started?

And I think a lot of, a lot of nurse practitioners aren’t really taught. It’s kind of crazy how to practice autonomously. In school. Yeah, like it’s not brought up. It’s just kinda [00:09:00] like, All right, so all your clinicals will be with a doctor or a nurse practitioner working in the hospital. We’ll only kind of show you this really myopic view.

And you’ll only walk away with this understanding of, these are my options. And so by hearing you say like, No, I just believed in myself. I believed I could do it. I, Yes, you know, just kind of came up with this plan and I let the pieces fall where they may and I figured out as I went along, these are all things that nurse practitioners need to hear to kind of get their, you know, guts going that I can do this, I can open up a practice cuz there is so

Dr. E: much fear.

That’s, that’s what it is. There’s If you are thinking, Oh, the docs know more in business, they don’t, they also didn’t learn business. So if you have, so I teach at the local college here, and I, I, one of the classes, I, I teach healthcare policy and finance, but I always dedicate one class to opening up your practice.

And this is what I say, if a, I describe what it’s like to open up your practice and I’ll, if after all of this that I say, you are [00:10:00] still salivating to open up a practice. Then do it. And if after everything I described you’re scared to open a practice, then don’t do it. But either way, like just be one with that decision.

Like, like my wife, my wife’s a pa. She does not have the entrepreneurial spirit at all. She does not want to own her business in any capacity. And that works for her. So, you know, if you’re in this, like, I’m not sure if I want to or not. When you listen to this podcast, somebody who wants, who has that spirit, every time they hear a story, they’re gonna say, Oh my God, I wish that.

And other people are gonna listen to it and say, Holy, I don’t know if I could curse on this. Holy sugar. We’re clean

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: on this podcast. Holy Sugar .

Dr. E: Okay, Holy sugar. This is the most terrifying ish I’ve ever heard of. This Lady’s Bananas. How did you do it? Then walk away from that conversation of being an entrepreneur, cuz it’s not for you cuz it’s terrifying every day, all day, and you have to want.

Aha. And yeah, and, and, and just be one with it. Like, just be like, Okay, if this isty, like this is [00:11:00] your litmus test, If this is terrifying, or to the point of like, I, I don’t think I could do it, then you probably can’t. And then just stop wishing it and do amazing stuff in your thing. Go, go the highest you can to the hospital.

Do the highest that you can in your practice. But if every time you hear a story, there’s this thing inside of you that’s like, man, like this. People who hear it right now, they’re feeling it as I’m saying it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Then just F and do it. I curse a lot, so this is hard for me. Then just f and do it dump.

It’ll work itself out. I promise you. It’ll work itself out.

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: That is such a great like to like a total great pitch for that because it is true. Like if you are afraid. It’s just gonna get scarier, so, Oh yeah. Don’t do it. It never gets easier. It never gets easier. But if you’re like, No, that sounds amazing.

Like how, How do I, Yes. How do I take up that on me? How, What does it look? I see that she just jumped. I wanna jump, like if that’s where you are, you’ve gotta feed that beast cuz it’s just going.

Dr. E: You gotta feed. And if it’s not where you are, [00:12:00] then feed the other beast and let this like, like just be done with this conversation and that’s okay.

That’s totally okay. Yeah. And just be like amazing at what you’re doing. Yeah. And and there’s enough nurse

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: practitioners on my podcast that have shown how to do that other part to be super successful, to find other side hustles while they’re doing the one job at the hospital, because you don’t have to just stay in that one lane of, I’m just gonna go work my, you know, Monday through Friday and.

No. Learn how to precept students. Yes. Learn how to open up a little, a little side thing. You don’t have to do it where it’s your full income, but you can do little side hustles and gigs that you’re like, All right, yeah, I’m cool. I do this. Certain days. I do that. And you’ve got variety so that if. , if you want to see like, am I diversified?

If the, the job is just like, listen, you gotta go. Then you’re like, Oh gosh, I’ve got nothing else ready. So that’s what I really advocate for on here as well. But

Dr. E: go ahead. 100%. No, I 100%. Yeah. Hundred percent correct. You know, I was [00:13:00] just gonna say, this brings me, you just mentioned something, the precept and brings me to the next.

Which is, Well actually, let me skip first. As the business got bigger, I promised you I’ll show you the problems and how I solve. As the business got bigger, I realized in order to continue to provide amazing care, I need a scribe in the room. Cuz you don’t want to do this. Yeah. What were you saying? Right?

You don’t wanna type for those of you listening and not hearing, you don’t wanna type and not look at your, those of you listening and not watching. Not, not here, sorry, . You don’t wanna type while you’re talking to your. But the amount of volume that we got in my practice, we’re seeing 70 to 80 patients a day Per provider.

Yes. And nobody feels rushed. If you look at our reviews, there’s not a single person that feels rushed. We have our workflow down to a science, but one of it is that you need a medical scribe. This cuz the medical scribes. Yeah. No, we’re, we’re legit. So you’re crazy. We don’t have to do 70. We’re crazy. Okay.

So, Wow. Per. Per provider. Yeah, we, we have active patient roster of 20,000 patients at this point at EG healthcare. And by the way, if you [00:14:00] don’t already follow us on Instagram, you should cuz we’re so funny. , it’s just funny. Dr. E this is great. Wait, wait, I didn’t even get to the big part yet. Okay. Keep going.

So we get to, we, So I had a scribe in the office yet at the time, and it was great. But when she left, I was like, Wow, I can’t really be dependent on this one person if she’s on vacation or whatever. And it’s, it’s really important for the provider experience, not to chart all day, but super important for the patient experience that they get my full attention.

I’m looking in their eyes, I’m here and I’m not on the computer. Somebody else is typing. Right? So it’s super important. So I reached out to a virtual company and , you know, they’re based out of India and we started , it was a virtual. The scribe is in India and they are listening in and then they do the charts for you.

And then I realized I could probably run this company myself, . So I opened up my own scribe company. I’m gonna skip some parts, open up my own company in India. My scribes aren’t India. And here’s the cool thing about it. It is run by [00:15:00] women who. Culturally are not allowed to leave their house to work.

Right. Especially at nighttime cuz there’s a time difference. So, Oh, they are allowed to work from home and their families are happy so they’re able to put food on their table while their families are able to observe them. Cuz there’s women are not allowed to go out at night and there’s just cultural issues there.

Right. So you were empowering this whole group of women in India to be able to work. And provide income while meeting their cultural norms. So it’s just been like this crazy win-win. Initially I was using the scribes just for my company, but then my colleagues find out about it, and so now my colleagues are using my scribes.

So it became its own entity, . So that’s, that’s, this is number two, .

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: Wait, Okay. You’ve, Okay. Yes. Business every two. Cuz you’ve acquired two other businesses. Well, but that’s

Dr. E: wrapped up in the one is one. This is one, yes. Yeah. As you describe. Okay. Ascribe. And then number three is EG prep. Okay. I’m E by the way.

G is my wife, so that’s why everything’s eg. I was [00:16:00] mentoring a lot of nps and you just said it. The education is, good, but, the clinical, I feel like. This could be better. Yeah. You know, this is something that can be listened to in other places, so really careful in my language.

Yeah. And so it’s amazing and we are prepared, but there is a bit of a leap once you graduate to really feel comfortable in the exam room where what we don’t have is, is residency, right? Where you get that comfortability and yes, there’s a comfort as a nurse, but it’s a little bit. Comfortability at np. So EG.

Prep is designed, it’s a, it’s an education company. It’s like a two day workshop. We’re, we’ve, we’re launching it officially January, 2021, if you want to. It’s in Staten Island, Hilton. It’s a two day workshop with really specifics. January 20, 23. 20, I’m sorry, January. You said January 21st and 22nd. This coming January.

Is that 23rd? Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. 21st and 22nd of 2023. Okay. [00:17:00] And it’s a two day, we’re hope to run it two or three times a year, two day workshop with specific modules. Not academic, like clinical like approach that’s gonna be approached to the patient with headache. So we’re gonna walk exactly what the pitfalls for headache approach to the patient with back pain.

Cuz you already have all the information, you’re already pasted it, you’re already, but we’re gonna help you assimilate it into what you need in the exam room. So we’re super excited about that. So that’s is

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: number three. So that’s number three. Okay. Yes. And

Dr. E: Number four. Number four is the big. . Okay.

I hope you’re enjoying the episode. I wanted to take a second and tell you what I’ve got cooking at the doctors podcast. my business partner and I, Jackie king, created an Etsy shop called success and P the goal of our Etsy shop is for NPS at NP moms to work smart, cherish the moments of life and live beautifully. We created adorable digital downloads for new moms, moms that need to get organized. And we also just launched a brand new digital planner. It’s Nurse practitioner themed [00:18:00] planner with stickers to help you customize and keep your life organized. It has inspirational quotes for different nurse specialties, as well as facts related to, our job as nurse practitioners. Go check out my Etsy shop, which I have linked in the show notes. Now let’s get back to the combo.

Dr. E: Number four is not called EG something. It’s called the New method, but new is spelled with a K cuz you always knew there was a better way.

And that came from the fact that my wife was sick a few years ago. She has an autoimmune issue and conventional medicine really failed her. And we turned to something called functional medicine. And it really changed our lives. Wow. And so I realized I had to bring it back to my patients. So I started slowly, and that’s why eventually I got my PhD Integrated Medicines.

Integrated medicine. Yeah. Yeah. And then I got, And so we, I invented the new method, so I, it’s like a specific application of my knowledge and we’re national. We’re national. So we have clients cuz they’re not, we can’t call it [00:19:00] patients, they’re not patients cuz we can’t practice medicine out of the state.

But we have clients all over the country who functional medicine support. So those are four businesses. . How do

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: you keep up with the volume? My goodness. I mean, I hear the scribe. Okay. And then somehow the scribe ends up turning into a business, but, Okay. And then so that helps you keep up with your clinical work to a certain extent, cuz there’s still, you still have to manage the practice, which is,

you

Dr. E: know, as the ceo.

Sure. Well, I have a big team at this.

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: Yeah, you’ve got, you’ve got managing people, which is a ton of work and now you’ve bring these other businesses. How are you doing

Dr. E: all that? Well, t Healthcare, as it grew, I hired other nps, so my nps, I only practice primary care once a week at this point, cuz the rest of the time isn’t functional.

I have a team of about 20 locally. I have two people in the Philippines. I have a, obviously a few people in India, so it’s, interesting. .

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: Wait, why do you have people in Philippines? Is that for the scribe business as well?

Dr. E: Nope. One is for my billing and [00:20:00] one is to help us with , writing articles for our blocks.

So we just, the team is just okay. It’s like this is never ending. Right. Wow. Cause we have, if you want, if so, EEG healthcare and then the new method. Remember the news spelled with a k I always like to say cause people are listening. If you look at our social media, it’s intense and it’s it’s own machine.

We, produce content. You know, I spend all of Tuesday just producing content for the week. So we produce content all the time. There’s nothing haphazard about it, so we need a team . So we need a team. There’s a team for everything. So part of that also is create, creating a lot of content blogs.

So we have someone in the Philippines that helps us with that. .

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: Yeah. And that helps with like seo, is that

Dr. E: what you’re trying to kind of help? Yes, exactly. Right. So that helps with seo. Yeah. And then every, every, there’s a, there’s a method to matter. So I have a whole team that manages EG. And then I have a new method team and yeah, so it’s, , it’s a lot.

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: Yes. So for those that are like, Wait, Sandra just said seo, what is that? So that’s search engine optimization. So it’s [00:21:00] to get her company name out there. So when you type in EG healthcare, she’s the first one that pops up. The more content you put out, Like evergreen content, Right. That ends up driving people to you.

From what I’m understanding. I’m still new with this whole thing. No, it’s good. It’s, I know how to like drop terms, but like, I’m like, Oh, so is that a seo?

Dr. E: Like No, it’s, I’m glad you said that because a lot of times I’ve found myself in places where people are saying acronyms and I had no idea what they were and I’d have to Google them.

So let’s not be those people. Right. I really love that you brought that not fan SEO for any of you up and coming entrepreneurs it is not enough to just have a website. Great. I paid somebody a thousand dollars and I did my website. That is worthless. That’s like just having a piece of paper, like a flyer hanging up in your wall and no one sees the flyer. You have people have to come to your website.

Just owning one is meaningless. So there’s a few ways you could bring people to your website. One is paying, like you pay Google ads. So like everyone, every time somebody says knee pain, if you’re an [00:22:00] ortho, it’ll come to you. But for those who don’t have. Deep pockets. SEO is another way to do it. So it’s, it’s more organic, And so you have to your web guide.

This is not something that is within, It shouldn’t be in your purview if you’re clinical. I mean, if you’re an np, that’s also web awesome. But you need to have a web person who understands that they need to build a whole bunch of stuff in your website that you might not even see with your eyes to help drive the Google robots to your site.

So if someone says, I’m looking for a doctor in my area, doctors near me. There’s a whole bunch of stuff that happens in the background that will bring them to your site, that’s seo. And there’s a talent, there’s a skill for it, and you have to make sure you’re hiring somebody that helps you with it. So what I was talking about now is that the more content you have on your website, whether people read it or not, it’s really about the Google robots.

So. Create blogs every week about various topics. So if somebody searches, I don’t know, [00:23:00] headaches, and they see my article, it will lead them to the website. So there’s just a whole world around it, and so it’s part of a strategy. Do you need to do it right away? No. If you’re just opening up your business, this is not your top priority.

Should it be on your list of things to do? Yes.

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: Yeah. So what else do you feel like has contributed besides acquiring other businesses to your growth as a practice? What would you say if you had to kind of go and pinpoint and take a needle and just go, This thing right here has been a game changer? What would you say?

Dr. E: The team, 100%. The team? Yeah. You have to be. You have to be about your team. If you’re going to be a business owner, you have to be about your team. The patient, I have to say is important, but if your team’s not appointed, I cannot tell you how many people have come to me because they said I love Dr. Smith, but I can’t stand their front desk.

So I’ve left Dr. Smith because your team is so nice. The only reason my team is so nice is cuz they’re my top priority and they know it, which means I try to pay them as best as [00:24:00] possible. I, if somebody’s rude to them, I will, I will never take the the patient’s. , My patients know this. You rude to my pa to my team.

You’re getting discharged. So my team knows I have their back. You write a review about my, So sometimes you write a review. Most of our, most of ’em are like 4.8, which is a lot considering our volume. Yeah. Yeah. But if you write a negative review and say The fun girls don’t know what they’re talking about.

My butt will be writing back and say, If you mean screaming at my staff as you saying that they don’t know what they’re talking about, well like I am going at you cuz I treat my team like my family and that doesn’t mean they’re all with me. For years. I have a core team that’s been with me for years and some come and go.

That’s the nature of the job. Not everyone is a front office person forever, but when you’re a part of eg, you’re be behind the line and I got you back. And that also. If we structure things like if you need a microloan, we’re gonna give you a microloan to help you out if you have a situation at home and you need, we have your back in a lot of places when you walk at eg.

And we’ve had some [00:25:00] weird situations and we are like, what do we need to do to get you where you need to be? If that means we’ve had, we’ve had people who even had issues with drugs and we. They were willing to do the work, we were willing to keep them on, you know, so there’s things that you can do for your team.

If your team knows you have their back, they will have your back at the front on the phone, everywhere with the patients. They’re gonna smile to the patients. They’re gonna be kind to those patients. So it’s, it’s, it’s all about the team. Oh, always. All the time.

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: So what you were, what you’re talking about is reminded me of this book.

That’s why I said Built to Last, Good to Great, I can’t remember the author’s name, but he wrote a book on getting the right people on the bus. That was his whole concept. And another book that I love, Dave Ramsey. He wrote, he wrote a book on the entrepreneur. He also describes his team. And the way that you just talked about your team is the exact way that he talked about them in his book.

It’s like, This guy, his wife had his wife had passed away in a car accident. Mm. He was away on a business trip [00:26:00] for the company. So he described in the book that he flew a private jet out to get this guy from wherever he was and flew him back home so that he didn’t have to drive back from this event.

He flew a private jet out to go get him. And when I heard that, I just thought, My heart just like broke. I was like, How much does he care about these? Like the little people in his company that he was like, Dave Ramsey was like, I’m getting a private jet charter to go get this guy because he’s gonna find out and he needs to be able to get home and.

40 minutes, not seven hours, you know? Right. And so just that whole mindset And then in the Good to Great Book, he talks about getting the right people on the bus. And that whole concept is just this idea that everyone has a spot that they could be in. Mm-hmm. . And you’ve gotta get them to their right seats, because once you get the right people on the bus, it almost doesn’t matter what the mission is.

Yep. They will. Like, [00:27:00] cuz you got the right people in the right spots. And then the leadership aspect that you’re talking about, that servant leader, that heart of like, my job is to just take care of these people because in turn they take care of me and we’re able to keep this system

Dr. E: going. And, and they know the girls have been with me from the beginning.

They know I never got a fancier car, , I didn’t get a fancier house. Every time there’s more, we give more benefit. We give more benefits. So at first we had no benefits. Now we do. And you know, every, like, we’re like, we grew from nothing. Just, Hey, this is all I got Yes. To. Like, we have a package now that we can give you.

Right. We didn’t have, Yeah. And it didn’t have to be that way. I see my colleagues, I could, I could just be like, great more for me. Yes. And that’s just never going to work out. That type of mentality. That’s just not a long term mentality. It’s old. It’s Yes. No, that’s what he talked

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: about as well.

The giving.

Dr. E: We much possible, I mean, we can never be work from home, right? Cuz we provide direct patient care. Yeah. But we could really be cognizant [00:28:00] of work life balance. So that means we take turns staying late cuz there’s in medicine, you tend to stay late. So we try to make it where not the whole team stays late.

Tuesday’s your day to stay late so you can plan your life. You know, Tuesday’s not a good day to plan an event, but you know that the rest of the week you are out on time so that you can plan your life. And that’s really important. So there’s small things that we put into place to, you know, the team used to work the whole every weekend.

And then one of my, one of my really good team members said, I, I really can’t do this every weekend thing. And I said, You know, We could split the team in half, but you’ll be a skeleton team. But as long as everyone’s down, we’re like stretching themselves on the weekend, then we’ll alternate weekend. And we did it.

And everyone’s so much happier cuz now it’s alternate weekends, so it, it’s, it’s harder, but they were down for it, right? So, there’s so many things that you can do creatively that don’t, that doesn’t cost the business more money to give, to do that. Making sure that everyone gets out on time and only one person stays late, that doesn’t cost you more money.

So there’s so many things that you can do. We close down for lunch every day between one 30 and two phones. Go [00:29:00] for lunch. No conversation. You have to eat. There’s no, and and I get agitated. I’m like, let’s go. Go downstairs or go like go eat. You can need a break. No, no, no. I’ll work. No, no, no. You got, you have to go.

You’ll burn out. We close Fridays. Because it’s really critical, especially with direct care, cuz you know, people are people, It’s a lot, it’s a lot. And you need to take those moments to yourself. And so it’s, it’s really all about teams. So that is the pivotal thing, which then translates, in my opinion, to superior patient care.

Because the team’s vested and so superior patient care. It keeps them coming back, obviously. Right. And, and, and so that, those are the two things.

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: So, along this way, have you had any mentors, Has anybody like mentored you through your process? Yes. Or have you just

Dr. E: been a single lone wolf? No. No. No one does this alone. No. And that’s really important because then, then when you’re on top, you have to pull others. Because you did not get here by yourself.

I don’t care what rhetoric. I don’t care what politician, nobody got to where they are by themselves. That’s a bunch of bs. Yeah. And so when you’re on [00:30:00] top, you make sure you bring everybody up with you. First and foremost, my wife, no joke, she is like, she is the moral compass in my life. So if there’s something I’m not sure, like am, am I in a gray area? If Gina thinks this is no good, It’s no good, we just walk away. So that’s first and foremost. And then mentors along the way. Always, always, always. And I pay a lot of money at this point for my mentors cuz at first it’s colleagues, but then it’s.

Business coaches and mental health coaches and people who have done it better for you and you pay for their time. Because you, you cannot, especially when you run your own business, it’s just you on the walls. Yeah. Who are you asking? Right? And everyone who works for you works for you. So you’re the one that’s supposed to have the answers.

Pay money for your mentors. Make sure you get mentors. Put your ego aside cuz you don’t know and you don’t even know what you don’t know. Yeah. So, and, and I forgot the most important thing, you know, God in the universe. You know, there are moments when you’re just like,

there are times when you planned things and God’s like, I’m gonna let you know that’s not actually the plan. And you just have to be like, Okay, I’m in my [00:31:00] bad. I got you.

So a lot of faith. A lot of faith. A lot of faith. But mentors, yes, you need mentors all the way.

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: Yeah. And it sounds like you’re for mentorship,

Dr. E: Well, at this point in paying for mentorship, but you know, I’ll tell you a small story of some, When I first first started at EG Healthcare, it was a tiny little blip, and I turned to I’m gonna mention his name, Dr. Frank Scour, because I can never forget his kindness.

And he’s, he’s big time on the island in Staten Island. And I turned to him. I was like, Hey, you know, kind of scared of him. And he’s like, There are, there are enough patients for me. There are enough patients for you. Whatever help you need. He did not know me from hole in the wall. Whatever help you need, you are not competition.

They’ll come to me, they’ll come to you, whatever you need. And that was such a turning moment for me cuz he did not have to do any of that. And he helped me along the way for nothing, for no reason. Other than that he’s kind, and so I try to mention his name all the time. I, I thanked him in my book. Because that was really impactful cuz he could have totally been like, Why are you wasting my time?

I’m not even gonna meet with you. He met with [00:32:00] me, he was kind to me. He’s gotten me out of a lot of situations. I didn’t know what to do next until this day I call him and ask him, Frank, are you closing for the snowstorm? . And if he says yes, then I’m closing until this day. So , So you know what

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: is so funny as you were describing him, You know, one of the things that I think a lot of nurses, and I don’t know if it’s just the mentality that our, our, our group has, but.

We tend to think we’re in competition with one another. And I think it’s cuz we’re a women dominated field. I think it’s just a woman thing. I don’t really know. I’ve tried to look at it from different angles and try to figure out why. But that is an abundance mindset, which when you have an abundance mindset and you’re thinking that there is plenty to go around, there are not.

Problems. You only see solutions or at least opportunities to growth solutions. You know these different things where like you scribe business that you were talking about, like that was a problem. Like you were just kinda like, this is not an issue, but you looked at it as an opportunity and then you ended up turning it into a business.

And so it’s like if you keep that mindset of abundance, [00:33:00] one, you attract good things to you, and two, as you operate out of that abundance mindset, you begin to. Make more money, you’re able to generate more revenue. You’re able to come up with new things instead of thinking, I’m in competition with everybody, we’re playing, you know, the game of spoons 100, last spoon.

You know, we’re all gonna end up, some is gonna end up without. If you don’t think that way and you change,

Dr. E: no, you don’t think that way. The environment, and I’m going to to add to that, the abundance mindset for me is also, and you must give and you must give because to me, I feel like he only gives me as long as I give to others.

If at any point I start to. Spill my coffers. I know the faucet will stop. This is just, I just know this. I don’t know how I know it. I just know this. So you must give, you must help others because if you do, it’ll just keep flowing your way. Yes. It’ll just keep falling away. That doesn’t mean you use it, of course.

I’m not saying you have to, you know, live in misery, but you must give. Yes. If you give, you will. Oh, you will just have.

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: You are, you are the first guest to say [00:34:00] that, and I think it is a, it’s, it’s a huge point to sit on for a second. Again, I don’t think that we realize, and I talk about this all the time, that there are laws that govern the universe.

It just Amen is what it is. And so Exactly When you have a baby, do you expect the baby to come in three days? No. You know, like you hope it doesn’t come in three days, but you get my, I’m saying nine months. Yes. Yes. Okay. That’s when the baby is born. You plant a, a. Of, what do you call those big trees?

Live oak. Live oak tree You plant to see in the ground. You don’t expect to have a live oak that’s able to provide shade. No. That live oak got there after a hundred years of sitting there and enjoying the storms and enjoying the storms of life that have come through that area. That’s what made that tree strong.

And it’s the same with the concept of giving that if you give, it always comes back. There’s a law. It governs the world. It just is. It just is what it is. Accept it. So just give it away and watch. Yes. To give it

Dr. E: away. [00:35:00] Come back. My wife always says, she’s like, You are bananas. You just, I’m like, I just have to give it.

This person comes my way. I have to give it. My wife rescues animals and she’s, and I rescue humans. That’s what she tells me all the time, . I’m like, Just give it, It’s fine. It’s, it’s fine. Sometimes people take advantage of me. I’m not gonna lie. Sometimes people take advantage of me. Sometimes the staff is like, You are never seeing that money again.

I’m like, That’s okay. That’s on them. That’s on them. Yes.

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: Gary Bead talks about that all the time as well. Another guy I follow, he’s super great and just, oh my gosh. He just completely puts his mindset in like, I just, I know I’m gonna get taken advantage of. It’s okay. Yes. And when you have that resiliency of like, If I get it taken advantage of, I know that there’s something else, or for me, someone else looking out for me, that’s not gonna let me fall.

You move confidence. Exactly. And you just let it go.

Dr. E: Exactly. You’re like, All right. Yeah, and it’s on them. That’s like their karma, that’s they took and, and didn’t stand by their word, whatever their word is. , that’s, that’s for them to figure out this. I don’t have to worry about it. I

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: totally agree, man. Well said.

So if you could go back to Dr. E as an, as a [00:36:00] med search nurse and give her a little piece of advice. Oh my God. Something that you would tell her that you wish you would’ve known earlier. What would you tell her?

Dr. E: I wouldn’t tell her anything.

Really? Yeah, because you have the first one to say that too. No, you have to go through the trials of tribulations, like sleep. People say, if I could go back and fix it, no, you must fall. You must fail. You must be embarrassed. And God, I was. I messed up publicly many times. You have to go through that to become the person you are today.

And if I was to change any of that, I wouldn’t be who I am today. Like the woman that stands for you now full of integrity is a woman that failed an integrity you know, in the past and had to see the circumstances of failing and hurting others and what that and if, and learn that lesson so, Can become the person of integrity.

And if I didn’t do that back then I wouldn’t be the person I am now. So, so nothing, I would just watch her and be like, Sis, let’s watch this. .

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: I love that answer. And you’re the first one to give it. Fantastic. I love that one. Thank you. Thank you. And for the rapid fire portion, this [00:37:00] is the flyest of your pants.

You gotta get ready. It’s Rob fire. You ready? Here we go. I’m ready. What type, what, what time of day are you most?

Dr. E: Morning. Morning. Okay. You’re an early

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: riser. Yeah. Get it. You know, get in there. Get, Yes. Okay. Oh, how do you answer the.

Dr. E: I don’t answer the phone.

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: I thought you’d

Dr. E: better text me. I’m, I don’t have peoples answer the phone at this point.

I don’t anyone who knows, really. And I’ll tell you how I answer the phone. What’s wrong? Why are you calling me? Why you, is this an emergency? Why didn’t you twice free .

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: That is very funny. And what subjects in school did you find most fascinating

Dr. E: growing up? Oh my God. Most fascinating. Is what I did my first degree in English literature.

I loved literature. English lit, my first degree, English lit. , I did dissert English lit. Oh, so what was your Then I went back to nursing. Oh, my dissertation and my, Yeah, sorry, medicine to ask. That’s okay. My dissertation, I did on the effect of what we call our a nutrition, but anti-inflammatory nutrition.

On tinnitus, which everyone in TikTok says is [00:38:00] pronounced tinnitus, so I don’t care how you pronounce it, but , anti-inflammatory diet effect on ringing in the ears, pronounce it any way you want. Cause what I discovered with my patients, incidentally, I discovered that when I cleaned up their. The ringing in the ears went away.

Tin tonight is tinnitus. And so I did a kind of retroactive, cuz I already had the data and I was like, how the heck is this happening? And then I uncovered that. In fact, for a certain, a huge population, tinnitus is in a sign of inflammation, right? Not the trauma or the, you know, the cops of the soldiers.

Those are trauma and hearing loss. But to a lot of people, it’s actually a sign of inflammation. And when we take away the anti-inflammatory foods, the ringing in the ears goes away. It’s, it’s been fascinat. I have patients where like I, I’ve suffered, That’s my dissertation was on. Yes. And then

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: that, Do you, you, I’m sure you probably use this in your, I wanna say, I’m gonna say no.

No. With a k. No. The new method.

Dr. E: The new method.

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: The new method. The new method. Oh, that’s enough. Okay. New method. You’re good. You’re good. So is that with your new method business? That’s [00:39:00] the way you’re kind implementing that practice. Okay.

Dr. E: That’s cool’s. Yeah. Was we have a, a software that we. And that question was always in there and I was like, What the hecks this question about ringing in the ears?

I ignored it, but I would keep seeing like it was going from like a level 10 to level two, and I start asking my patients, I’m like, and they’re like, Oh yeah, they’re ringing in. My ears are gone. Like they came in for joint pain or brain fog, or they’re autoimmune, and the ringing the ears would go away and it was.

It was during the time that I was in school and I was like this is what I ran my dissertation on. So see, God took care of me again. I didn’t even have to figure it out. That is so cool.

Dr. Sandra Pagenta: Well, thank you for coming onto the podcast. Thank you so much with my guests. Your, your journey. It’s incredible.

Dr. E: Thank you so much. Thank you so much.