Cydoc & Betsy Drake Noxon
Today the Cydoc team is interviewing Betsy Drake Noxon, who founded Drake & Co. Medical Practice Consulting in 2021 to focus on supporting small to medium private medical practices achieve best practices for their business, staff, and patients. Her goal is to help physicians be proactive so they can be productive and serve their patients to the best of their ability.
Betsy has worked in healthcare for 30 years. She’s directed all operations as an Administrator for a podiatric surgical practice in Glenview, Illinois, excelled as a physician recruiter in Salt Lake City, Utah, and enjoyed a leadership role as Practice Manager for a large hospital system in Cleveland, Ohio. She’s worked with internal medicine physicians and specialists to open their own concierge practices, and has helped larger groups open new clinics. She’s also recruiting a physician for a practice. With a large network of healthcare providers, administrators, professionals, vendors and leaders, she’s able to offer a one stop shop for providers. Betsy is an avid runner, triathlete, golfer and has recently taken up pickleball. She was a healthcare freelance writer for national and local magazines for 15 years, and is the author of three published books, one on triathlon training for women and two young adult novels (medical thrillers). She’s working on her third in the series.
Dr. Drake Noxon, what motivated you to start Drake & Co. Medical Practice Consulting, and what services do you offer physicians?
I wanted to offer and apply my experience as an owner/administrator of a thriving private practice to other physicians who would benefit from my business experience. I noticed that physicians were unhappy working in large hospital systems and needed assistance transitioning to private practice.
What are the biggest challenges you see physicians facing today?
Time is a huge challenge. Physicians are pressured to see more patients while seeing them in less time and are burdened with heavy documentation requirements. This leaves them and their patient’s exhausted and dissatisfied. This is not sustainable. Physicians see leaving corporate medicine for private practice as a business model that affords them autonomy and more control over their schedule.
What are your favorite strategies for reducing burnout?
Utilizing support staff, adding qualified partners/ancillary staff to help with patient overflow and analyzing scheduling protocols. At the end of the day, the physician should take a deeper look at their self care and make personal decisions as to what activities in their life are non-negotiable. Prioritizing time for themselves, family, and friends, will help them be happier during their work hours. Block out vacation/days off at the beginning of the year in regular increments. Plan to do enjoyable activities during time off, rather than catching up on work.
Are there any resources you’d recommend to physicians for optimizing the efficiency of their practices?
The American Medical Association (AMA) has excellent resources. I recommend reaching out to advisors/consultants such as myself who can come into your office to observe and dig into the minutia of their day to day workflow which will help pinpoint areas that need improvements. In private practices, there are more automated systems now that improve office efficiency.
(Editor's featured tech: Cydoc is pleased to offer private practice physicians a Smart Patient Intake Form that can dramatically improve office efficiency, saving 10 minutes per patient visit via automated pre-appointment note drafting from patient intake forms.)
What are the most important first steps for a physician transitioning to private or concierge practice?
I would consult with a healthcare attorney and healthcare accountant who can advise you on the best legal entity for you. They know the industry and have a pulse on the best practices. I suggest allowing 6-12 months for the transition. I step in as a one stop shop to advise on all things operational once the new office space is determined and the timeline for a Go Live date is set. Human resources is a critical component to the set up, along with a website, EHR, IT, medical/surgical supplies, financial and HR procedures and policies, to get the practice up and running.
What are your future plans for Drake & Co. Medical Practice Consulting?
I would love to help more practices around the United States to grow by encouraging and empowering more physician entrepreneurs. It’s a scary and uncertain path to choose, but I am that trusted, experienced partner to help make their dream possible. I want to learn more, too, about AI and Healthcare. When designed with thought and the right motivation, I anticipate the impact will be helpful for physicians and patients.
What “words of wisdom” would you want every physician to have the chance to hear?
Seek support and reach out to experts to ask questions and discuss options. I find that physicians love to ask questions, are curious and motivated.
How can our readers reach out to you or follow you on social media?
I can be reached through my website https://www.drakecompanyconsulting.com/ to schedule a free consult.
You can also follow me on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-betsy-noxon-6327632a/
I’d love to chat and learn how I can be of help to physicians and their practices!
Thank you for joining us!
