#207: Laura Meaney: Helping Patients Thrive with Ketamine Therapy

OVERVIEW:

Jason A. Duprat, Entrepreneur, Healthcare Practitioner, and Host of the Healthcare Entrepreneur Academy podcast talks with Laura Meaney, DNAP, CRNA, and Co-Founder of Focused Infusion Therapy. Laura talks about the steps she took to open her practice and offers advice for anyone interested in starting a ketamine clinic.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

• In 2019, Laura got her doctorate in anesthesia. Her doctoral thesis was on ketamine and protocols for treatment-resistant depression.
• Her practice, Focused Infusion Therapy, is located in Arizona and has been open since October 2020.
• Her business partner had the capital to launch. They started small and now have plans to open satellite clinics in the central Phoenix area.
• Laura shares how she found her medical director, a physician from a local hospital. He reviews charts and consults. 
• She also shares the steps she and her business partner took to open their practice—from purchasing equipment to renting a place to set things up.
• Laura talks about how they overcame the challenge of launching a website and what marketing methods they used to promote their business.
• The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology and the American Psychiatric Nurses Association released a joint statement that CRNAs should be collaborating with mental health clinicians if they’re treating mental health patients. 
• Laura admits some patients have experienced side effects after ketamine infusions, such as nausea and headaches. She's worked with them to manage these side effects.
• Focused Infusion Therapy also offers IV therapy, which she believes is a great complimentary service to ketamine. 
• It’s so rewarding to see people feeling better. Laura's father suffered from depression and chronic pain. After having ketamine therapy treatments, she said he smiles more and enjoys playing golf.  
• Laura is on a mission to spread the good word about ketamine everywhere she can. 
• Her advice for anyone concerned about the challenges of opening your practice: Suck it up and stick it out. It’s about the mission and not the money. 

3 KEY POINTS:

1. The Ketamine Academy helped Laura better understand how to achieve her goal of opening her ketamine practice. It only took her and her business partner four to five months to launch Focused Infusion Therapy.
2. Her mission is to bring health and wellness to all aspects of a patient’s life through ketamine infusions and IV therapy. Laura wants to help people get back to their lives and have happier days. 
3. Laura advises hiring people who can fill in the gaps when you open a practice - hire for what you don’t know. 

TWEETABLE QUOTES:

“Collaboration is key.” - Laura Meaney

“I have a lot of hats but I also have a lot of help.” - Laura Meaney

“If you don’t know, you need to hire somebody who does know.” - Laura Meaney

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