Taking the leap into independent practice can be both exciting and daunting. These successful independent pediatricians reflect on their early days in practice, shed light on what’s at the heart of their practice of medicine, and share advice they’d give to their younger selves in those early days of independent practice.
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Increasingly, families are looking to pediatricians for education on how to create healthy boundaries around digital media use. What do families and pediatricians need to know in order to support kids in practicing online safety? What is online safety, and what does it look like in practice? Marissa Maldonado, CEO of Proda Technology, speaks to these questions and shares her thoughts on starting generative conversations at home with children of any age, as both an IT professional and a parent.
The Women in Pediatrics Retreat was founded by Katrina Skinner, MD, FAAP, an independent pediatrician who runs her own practice in Fairhope, AL. While skill-building is certainly part of this event, Women in Pediatrics prioritizes creating a space where women pediatricians can connect, practice vulnerability, and walk away with a newfound sense of confidence and self-compassion.
The overturning of Roe vs. Wade presents unique challenges for adolescents, from parental consent laws to mental health concerns. Dr. Trish Hutchison and Dr. Melisa Holmes, founders of Girlology, speak to the cultural moment and the need for patient education in the face of political upheaval.
Gender-Affirming Care is Whole-Person Care: Integrating Behavioral Health and Independent Pediatrics
Tamalpais PediatricsMarin County, CA
Transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) youth are increasingly reaching out to pediatric providers for support—be it medical care, education, or referrals to specialist. Yet some providers feel less than prepared to meet the needs of TGD youth and their families. Licensed therapist Theresa Hall speaks to the unique experience of TGD youth in the healthcare system, and how pediatricians can best support them.
An expert in the field of early brain and child development, Dr. Colleen Kraft has in many ways helped to steer the conversation about how to best care for children who experience developmental differences like autism spectrum disorder. She is focused on an important message: Primary care pediatricians can and should be a driving force on the team caring for a child with ASD. They are key to getting kids into services as early as possible, which helps to improve outcomes.
A government mandate in Tennessee has prohibited the Department of Health from doing vaccine outreach and education to Tennessee youth. What does this mandate signify about the relationship between the Tennessee legislature and the medical community? And how might the mandate impact independent pediatricians? Dr. Suzanne Berman, an independent pediatrician in Crossville, TN, speaks to the issue with an on-the-ground perspective.
“Come Learn With Me:” Teaching the Next Generation of Pediatricians
Pediatric Associates at Mt. CarmelCincinnati, Ohio
Dr. Chris Peltier wants to help community pediatricians fall in love with teaching. He’s learned through more than two decades of experience how rewarding it is to help medical students and residents learn the art and science of pediatrics. He also knows it is possible to effectively teach while still meeting business objectives and offering top notch patient care.
When he made plans to open an independent practice in the spring of 2020, Dr. Scott Wissman could never have predicted the Covid-19 pandemic. Dr. Wissman discusses the challenges, triumphs, and poignant lessons of opening a practice during a global pandemic.
Dr. Barbara Howard and Dr. Raymond Sturner have revolutionized how screening and early intervention unfolds in pediatric offices across the country through a web-based platform they developed called CHADIS, or the Child Health and Development Interactive System.
Serving the Whole Family Through Developmental Pediatrics
Georgia Center for Autism and Developmental PediatricsAtlanta, GA
Dr. Mark Moncino is passionate about offering specialized care to children with developmental differences. Inspired by his personal journey with dyslexia, Dr. Moncino founded the Georgia Center for Autism and Developmental Pediatrics. He tells the story of discovering the holes in developmental screening and treatment, and his road to starting his own practice.
After 38 years in practice in East Hampton, N.Y., Dr. Gail Schonfeld has built deep and lasting relationships with families in her community. Her work as an advocate and innovator serves her patients and helps pediatricians across the country adapt to a changing healthcare landscape.
Proper nutrition and food security are essential to the healthy development of a child—physically, emotionally, and psychologically. Dr. Steven Abrams, Chair of the AAP Committee on Nutrition, discusses the lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic on how the U.S. is failing food insecure families, and how we can do better.
Three pediatricians discuss the positive and negative effects of social media, ways to support mental health, how to better serve youth impacted by the opioid epidemic, and more.
The impacts of digital media use on children, both positive and negative, are increasingly visible as Generation Z comes of age. How do different types of media affect childhood brain development, and what can pediatricians do to help kids build healthy relationships with their screens?
Several independent pediatricians offer their own stories and strategies to foster wellness and prevent burnout, a syndrome that affects over 40 percent of pediatricians nationally.
Collaboration and Cooperation: Integrating Mental Health Care into a Pediatric Practice
Parker Pediatrics and Adolescents | Upper Valley Pediatrics
At Parker Pediatrics and Adolescents in Colorado, Dr. Jay Rabinowitz took a leap into the unknown by bringing licensed mental health professionals into his practice as employees. Dr. Mark Harris went on a similar journey in Vermont, where he integrated mental health services into his practice, Upper Valley Pediatrics, in the 1990s. In both locations, integrated mental health care has been beneficial for patients and providers, filling a dire need in the community.
Passing the Baton: Keeping Your Practice Independent When You Retire
Busy Bee PediatricsBountiful, Utah
After almost 40 years in independent practice, Dr. Douglas Coombs wanted someone who would carry the practice’s vision, work well with current staff, and show up with the most up-to-date processes and practices, all skills possessed by Dr. Bonnie Feola.
Build an intelligent, user-driven electronic health record; advocate for physicians at the national policy level; promote interoperability—these are just a few of the aspirations driving research and development in Vanderbilt’s Department of Biomedical Informatics.
Chip Hart explains why the best way to discover what your practice is doing well — and where it needs improvement — is to get out of your office.
Nine years after opening her own practice, Dr. Warner knows going solo was the right choice for her practice.
Treating Adolescents Using Compassion, Curiosity & Clinical Care
Pediatric and Adolescent CareTulsa, Okla.
Oklahoma pediatrician Dr. James Hendricks explains how his participation in clinical research projects gave him a leg up on conducting the anticipatory guidance that is so critical to ensuring the physical, emotional and mental well-being of adolescents.
At Your Fingertips: A Chance to Advance Pediatric Research With Your Practice’s Electronic Health Record Data
UVM College of MedicineBurlington, Vt.
Vermont’s Dr. Richard “Mort” Wasserman, director of the Pediatric Research in Office Settings (PROS) Network from the American Academy of Pediatrics, explains how practices can use their own electronic health record data to conduct clinical and observational research aimed at improving care.
Beyond the Nuts and Bolts: One Doctor’s Vision for the Perfect Pediatric Electronic Health Record
CareMount MedicalNew York State
Dr. William Zurhellen is a New York City metropolitan-area pediatrician who parlayed a personal interest in early computer technology during the 1970s into a viable electronic health record system used by more than a dozen pediatric practices around the country.
Dr. Mary Kiepert is an independent pediatrician in Las Vegas, Nevada, who has successfully negotiated the delicate balance between work and family life.
Dr. Bryan Sibley is an independent practitioner in Louisiana whose early experience as a hospital-employed physician taught him that nobody will ever care about his business as much as he does.
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To learn more about successful independent pediatric practices, read PCC’s Client Success Stories.
