Advertise on podcast: Thriving Practice with Tracy Cherpeski

Most independent practices start by saying yes to every patient and every service the license allows. Over time, that yes can stretch the schedule, the staff, and the marketing so thin that no one can name what the practice does best.  In this SNACK episode, Miranda Dorta turns the mic around and interviews Tracy Cherpeski about narrowing a niche. Tracy shares why she moved from generalist coach to working exclusively with independent healthcare practice owners, the fears that came up along the way, and what she'd tell an owner who says they can't afford to turn patients away.  You'll hear how a general practice can add a specialty without giving up current patients, the early signs a practice may be offering too many services, and why your numbers should come before your fear. Tracy also explains how blocking time in the schedule protects your focus and why your front desk team should manage the calendar.  Read the full show notes, memorable quotes, and key takeaways.  Connect With Us:  Be a Guest on the Show  Thriving Practice Community  Schedule Strategy Session with Tracy  Tracy’s LinkedIn  Business LinkedIn Page

What if the reason your practice is burning out isn't broken people—it's a broken system? In this episode, Tracy Cherpeski sits down with Jeremy Hummer, SVP of Strategic Partnerships and Growth at Certified Health, a practice automation platform that's been quietly solving this problem for healthcare systems and group practices for over 12 years.  Jeremy comes from hospitality, not healthcare IT—and that changes everything. Certified Health started by helping enterprises consolidate patient identity across thousands of locations using biometrics. But Jeremy realized the real insight: automation isn't about replacing staff. It's about freeing them from paperwork and repetitive data entry so they can actually connect with patients.  In this episode, you'll hear about the 'training hamster wheel'—the invisible cost of staff turnover that most practices don't calculate—and why the biggest fear about AI and automation completely misses the point. Tracy and Jeremy discuss real implementation challenges, the importance of stakeholder buy-in before deploying any technology, and how to think like hospitality instead of IT when designing patient experience. Plus: how multi-location practices can unify workflows across disparate EMR systems without expensive replacements.  Read the full show notes, memorable quotes, and key takeaways.  Connect With Us:  Be a Guest on the Show  Thriving Practice Community  Schedule Strategy Session with Tracy  Tracy’s LinkedIn  Business LinkedIn Page

Will a patient check-in kiosk cost your practice the human touch, or give it back? In this episode, Tracy Cherpeski talks with Aaron Westphal, president of Kiosk Group, about self-service technology for independent healthcare practices.  Aaron started in professional kitchens, and he explains why a good kiosk setup works like a well-run line: many stations, one plate. He and Tracy cover how kiosks connect with your EHR, why you still need a great front desk, the difference between automation and AI, and why fear of technology can quietly cost a practice time and money.  You will also hear how to decide whether your problem is about people, systems or tools, why modular technology can grow with you, and the first question Aaron asks every prospective customer.  Read the full show notes, memorable quotes, and key takeaways.  Connect With Us:  Be a Guest on the Show  Thriving Practice Community  Schedule Strategy Session with Tracy  Tracy’s LinkedIn  Business LinkedIn Page

Ask a practice owner when they last took two weeks off without checking in once, and you'll usually get a long pause. In this SNACK episode, Miranda Dorta puts Tracy Cherpeski in the interview seat to talk about what it takes to step away from your practice, with the holidays close enough to make it urgent.  A 2024 JAMA Network Open study found that about 70% of the physicians surveyed worked on vacation, and fewer than half had full inbox coverage. Tracy explains why the inbox is only the visible part, and why time off turns into work from a different location when every decision runs through one person.  In this episode, you'll hear:  Why decision rights come before coverage  How to use the ABCD delegation quadrant for team decisions  How to test time off with a long weekend before you try a week or two  A 10-minute exercise to start this week  Read the full show notes, memorable quotes, and key takeaways.  Connect With Us:  Be a Guest on the Show  Thriving Practice Community  Schedule Strategy Session with Tracy  Tracy’s LinkedIn  Business LinkedIn Page

Exhausted practice owners tend to wait for the holiday break to plan next year, or rush a purchase just to feel like they moved something. Both come from the same place, and both cost more than they seem to. In this solo episode, Tracy Cherpeski shares a year-end order of operations built on one idea: don’t wait, but don’t rush.  You’ll hear five steps you can start in November: know your numbers, name whether you have a people, systems, or tool problem, clean up the process before you automate it, choose your tools and partners with a clear head, and give time back to your team and yourself. Tracy also shares a client story about making space for planning first, and previews two November gatherings, including the first look at the Bottleneck Diagnostic.  It is also a big month on the show, with Aaron Westphal, Jeremy Hummer, and Ginger Hilton joining Tracy one per week.  November Gatherings  Community of Practice Gathering: Tuesday, November 10, 2026, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Eastern. A structured 90 minutes with questions submitted in advance (or asked in the moment), hot seat coaching, and conversation with fellow practice owners. The Bottleneck Diagnostic is introduced at this gathering. Click to register.  MasterMind Gathering: Friday, November 20, 2026, 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. Eastern. A popcorn-style conversation with no presentation and no advance questions, led by Tracy. It is a good place to ask about Thriving Practice Community programming and get a feel for how the community works. Click to register.  Read the full show notes, memorable quotes, and key takeaways.  Connect With Us:  Be a Guest on the Show  Thriving Practice Community  Schedule Strategy Session with Tracy  Tracy’s LinkedIn  Business LinkedIn Page

What's the most important financial document a practice owner will ever have? It's not a mutual fund, a will, or a trust — according to this episode's guest, it's a written financial plan. Tracy Cherpeski sits down with Mike Milligan, founder of One Oak Financial, a B Corp certified firm that works with high-income earners, especially physicians and practice owners.  Mike spent his early career on Wall Street before building a firm around impact over profit. In this conversation, he draws a sharp line between practices that are thriving and practices that are just surviving, and explains why some people own a business while others just own a job.  They also dig into money scripts, why taxes may be the biggest expense practice owners never address, and how a written plan can keep you from making decisions out of fear when the market gets shaky. If you've been meaning to have the money conversation but keep putting it off, this one's for you.  Read the full show notes, memorable quotes, and key takeaways.  Connect With Us:  Be a Guest on the Show  Thriving Practice Community  Schedule Strategy Session with Tracy  Tracy’s LinkedIn  Business LinkedIn Page

Ninety-eight percent of small practices believe they're HIPAA compliant. Far fewer actually are — and that gap tends to sit quietly until an audit, a complaint, or a breach forces it open.  In this SNACK episode, Miranda Dorta turns the mic on Tracy Cherpeski for an unscripted conversation about the compliance question providers ask quietly after everything else has been covered: how do I actually know if I'm in compliance?  They talk through why so many providers wait until something goes wrong, the one area practices most often assume they've got covered (and usually haven't), and why “better safe than sorry” beats “no news is good news” every time.  Tracy also shares a simple, low-cost first step any provider can take today — no big budget required.  Read the full show notes, memorable quotes, and key takeaways.   Podcast Episode With Compliance Expert Dr. Natasha Guess: Don’t Wait for the Audit: Three Compliance Gaps Hiding in Your Practice Featuring Dr. Natasha Guess, EP 270   Connect With Us:  Be a Guest on the Show  Thriving Practice Community  Schedule Strategy Session with Tracy  Tracy’s LinkedIn  Business LinkedIn Page

What does it actually take to go from one struggling clinic to 24 locations? In this episode, Tracy Cherpeski talks with Corey Malnikof, founder of Palmer Care Group, about the real story behind scaling a multi-location healthcare practice — starting with the month he nearly lost everything before he found the systems that changed his trajectory.  Corey shares the financial test he uses with every practice owner who asks about opening a second location, the stages of growth where "the wheels fall off," and why Palmer Care Group intentionally paused expansion at 24 clinics to build stronger infrastructure. He also opens up about the hardest responsibility he's ever had to hand off as a founder, and how coaching and mentorship shaped nearly every decision along the way.  Whether you're considering your first expansion or you're already managing multiple locations, this conversation offers grounded, tested guidance on systems, delegation, and building a team you can trust.  Read the full show notes, memorable quotes, and key takeaways.  Connect With Us:  Be a Guest on the Show  Thriving Practice Community  Schedule Strategy Session with Tracy  Tracy’s LinkedIn  Business LinkedIn Page

What if your biggest marketing problem isn't actually a marketing problem? In this episode, Tracy Cherpeski sits down with Ashley Gay — founder of Digital Ash Agency and a fierce champion of the independent practitioner — to talk about why branding is the foundation every growth strategy has to be built on.  Ashley brings a perspective that's both professional and deeply personal: as the spouse of a surgeon, she's watched the burnout and disillusionment that comes when physicians work incredibly hard but haven't built the infrastructure to support sustainable growth. Her mission is to help independent practitioners build their dream practices the right way, from the ground up.  In this conversation, you'll hear why branding and marketing are not the same thing (and why getting them out of order is expensive), how convenience has become your biggest competitor, why your brand is already being built by every phone call and parking experience — and what to do about it. Plus: why your brand isn't just a patient acquisition strategy. It's a talent acquisition strategy.  Read the full show notes, memorable quotes, and key takeaways.  Connect With Us:  Be a Guest on the Show  Thriving Practice Community  Schedule Strategy Session with Tracy  Tracy’s LinkedIn  Business LinkedIn Page

Every independent practice has a cancellation policy. The question is whether it exists anywhere besides the new-patient paperwork. In this SNACK episode, Miranda Dorta puts Tracy Cherpeski in the interview seat to talk about what no-shows really cost a practice, and why the gap between the policy on paper and the policy in practice is a systems problem, not a patient problem.  Tracy breaks down the full cost of a single missed appointment (it is a lot more than the lost visit), the difference between a courtesy request and an enforced policy, and why practice owners and front desk teams avoid holding the line. She also shares how automated reminders and fee triggers let the system be the bad guy, so no human has to make the awkward call, and names the one booking change that strengthens practice operations more than any other.  If you have ever waived a no-show fee because it felt easier than the conversation, this one is for you.  Resource Mentioned: AI & Automations for the Smart Practice Roundtable – Request the Replay and Accompanying Resource Guide  Read the full show notes, memorable quotes, and key takeaways.  Connect With Us:  Be a Guest on the Show  Thriving Practice Community  Schedule Strategy Session with Tracy  Tracy’s LinkedIn  Business LinkedIn Page

Burned out after two decades in psychiatric hospitals, Dr. Daniela Rizzo faced a choice during COVID: keep going, or build something different. She chose to build. In this episode, Tracy Cherpeski talks with Daniela about leaving the hospital model to create a thriving private practice that runs on her terms—fewer patients, extended 60–90 minute intakes, and a clinical environment that feels as much like a spa as a doctor's office.  Daniela shares the step-by-step journey of starting a practice: defining your vision first, then navigating legal structures, financial setup, and building visibility. She explains why combining practice areas (psychiatry, aesthetics, longevity medicine) makes more sense than you'd think, how trust is your best marketing tool, and why small touches—still water, espresso, genuine presence—matter more than expensive marketing campaigns.  You'll also hear about her guide for residents who want to start practices, and her upcoming book The Longevity Kitchen, which teaches that food is the first prescription. If you've wondered whether private practice is possible or how to build one that doesn't feel like hospital burnout 2.0, this conversation is for you.  Read the full show notes, memorable quotes, and key takeaways.  Connect With Us:  Be a Guest on the Show  Thriving Practice Community  Schedule Strategy Session with Tracy  Tracy’s LinkedIn  Business LinkedIn Page

Everyone says "finish strong in Q4." Yes, we want that for you. But what if the practice owners actually crushing their fourth quarter are not the ones panicking into September? What if they are the ones who did something counterintuitive in August?  In this episode, Tracy Cherpeski introduces the pre-purchase inspection framework: before you buy a house, you check the foundation. So why would not you do that with your practice before you build Q4? She walks through the three layers that need to be solid—vision, systems, and financial clarity—and explains why slowing down in August actually speeds up your fourth quarter.  You will hear why the energy you bring into Q4 matters, how to use your vision as a decision filter when opportunities arise, and what separates practice owners who thrive from ones who just survive. Because crushing Q4 smarter is not about working harder. It is about building on something solid.    Read the full show notes, memorable quotes, and key takeaways.  Request our newsletter.   Connect With Us:  Be a Guest on the Show  Thriving Practice Community  Schedule Strategy Session with Tracy  Tracy’s LinkedIn  Business LinkedIn Page

Physicians work nearly 58 hours a week, but only 27 involve actual patient care. The rest? Administrative tasks that do not align with why they went into medicine. For practice owners, this burden is yours to own, often by accident. In this SNACK episode, Miranda Dorta and Tracy Cherpeski break down the admin burden, explore the difference between moral distress and moral injury, and share the framework that works: stop, hand off to a person, or automate.  They tackle why delegation is where most practice owners fail, how to tell the difference between a task that is hard to let go of and one that genuinely needs your clinical judgment, and the three critical questions to ask before buying any new tool. Plus: why sometimes the answer is not automation at all, it is another human.  If you are a practice owner caught between knowing you should not be doing administrative work and feeling like you are the only one who can do it right, this conversation is for you.  Read the full show notes, memorable quotes, and key takeaways.  Connect With Us:  Be a Guest on the Show  Thriving Practice Community  Schedule Strategy Session with Tracy  Tracy’s LinkedIn  Business LinkedIn Page

Your healthcare practice looks organized from the outside. But behind the scenes, samples get lost, clinicians spend time hunting for things, and departments operate like they're held together by duct tape. Sam Yeruva, founder of PYCUBE, Inc., reveals why this happens and how operational intelligence fixes it.  Operational intelligence means connecting data across your workflows so you can see bottlenecks and waste in real time. Sam shares why hospitals struggle despite being well-funded, how healthcare can use AI as an assistant (not a replacement for clinical judgment), and what the four pillars of any workflow actually are: people, process, tools, and training.  In this episode, you'll hear about the time biopsies were lost in a loading dock, why 99% of clinicians want to spend more time at bedside, and Sam's powerful one-liner: "Respect the problem." He also explains why picking one strategic question and sticking with it beats trying to solve everything at once.  Practical, honest, and deeply relevant for any practice owner thinking about how to scale sustainably.  Read the full show notes, memorable quotes, and key takeaways.    Connect With Us:  Be a Guest on the Show  Thriving Practice Community  Schedule Strategy Session with Tracy  Tracy’s LinkedIn  Business LinkedIn Page

What if the biggest threat to your practice is not a lack of patients, but administrative burden? In this episode, Tracy Cherpeski sits down with Damien Adler, a psychologist and co-founder of Zanda Health, who solved this problem by building systems instead of hiring more staff. For 14 years, Damien ran his psychology practice while creating the infrastructure that would eventually become Zanda Health. He automated scheduling, invoicing, documentation, and patient communication - so thoroughly that he and his wife could take month-long vacations to Europe while the practice ran itself. In this episode, Damien breaks down the three admin tasks that drain the most time and energy from healthcare practices, why automation actually frees your brain to think and lead, and how to incorporate AI safely without compromising patient privacy. You'll also hear about the hospitality mindset that transforms patient experience, why your brain works on open loops even when you're resting, and exactly where to start if you're overwhelmed by the idea of automating your practice.   Read the full show notes, memorable quotes, and key takeaways.  To request the replay of the Roundtable: AI & Automations for the Smart Practice, click here.   Resource Mentioned: “The 9 Secrets of Successful Health Practices” http://zandahealth.com/ThrivingPracticePod    Connect With Us:  Be a Guest on the Show  Thriving Practice Community  Schedule Strategy Session with Tracy  Tracy’s LinkedIn  Business LinkedIn Page