#209: Dr. Eric Ehle: Treating the Whole Patient with Integrative Medicine

OVERVIEW:

Jason A. Duprat, Entrepreneur, Healthcare Practitioner, and Host of the Healthcare Entrepreneur Academy podcast talks with Dr. Eric Ehle, DO and medical director of Well Life Family Medicine. Eric shares his experiences on becoming a practitioner, including what he’s learned as a practice owner. He talks about the importance of integrative medicine and offers advice to other healthcare professionals thinking about opening a clinic.  

 

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

• Eric is board-certified in family medicine, medical acupuncture, and integrative medicine. He’s an assistant professor at Texas Tech University and a faculty member with the IVT Academy. 
• He went to film school but seeing his dad—who was a chiropractor—inspired him to become a certified EMT, earn a bachelor’s degree in nutrition sciences, and eventually, open his own practice.
• Initially, he started by seeing patients at his dad’s clinic and then launched his own practice once his patient base grew. 
• Jason and Eric discuss the pros and cons of learning on the job versus formal business training and the advantage of having a mentor.
• When you own a practice, you can implement whatever you’re interested in or whatever helps your patients. You can prioritize quality over quantity.  
• Integrative medicine and functional medicine overlap in places, but they differ in terms of approach and style. Think of integrative medicine as the umbrella and functional medicine as the subset. 
• Integrative medicine utilizes both conventional and alternative approaches to treat the whole patient. 
• Eric believes once you see the light, it’s hard to ignore integrative medicine. It opens the door to out-of-the-box thinking.
• When it comes to launching your own healthcare business, focus on the destination. Sell the experience and the outcomes to acquire more patients.
• Eric determines what services to add to his clinic based on three things: growing the business, improving the bottom line, and enhancing patient outcomes. 
• IV therapy is one of the integrative medical services he provides. The team customizes IVs to address each client’s specific needs.
• When the timing is right, consider diversifying by offering ancillary services to generate multiple revenue streams.
• The best way to grow your clinic? Find new patients, get them to trust you, and then let them see what else you have to offer.

 

3 KEY POINTS:

1. Eric grew up with a passion for medicine and an end goal of opening a practice so he took the necessary courses and surrounded himself with people who did what he wanted to do.
2. The bottom line is to pursue what you love. Figure out your passion, purpose, and do some soul searching.
3. Get patients to know, like, and trust you. Word of mouth is everything.  

 

TWEETABLE QUOTES:

“There are multiple ways to help patients.” - Dr. Eric Ehle

 

“Determine where you’re going and then how you’re going to get there.” - Dr. Eric Ehle

 

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