Most practices know they should be doing more with technology. Fewer have actually built it out.

Dr. Elizabeth Edens - Founder of Health Meets Wellness and Medical Director at TouchCare Method - has. She joins Jakub to walk through what a fully digitized patient journey actually looks like in practice: a custom mobile app, an AI health coach, wearable integrations, and touchpoints that keep patients engaged between visits.

Dr. Edens' specialty is weight management. The lessons apply to anyone trying to introduce software, AI, or remote monitoring into their patient experience.

We discuss:

🏥 Dr. Edens' #1 tip for growing a healthcare practice - exploring how the energy of leadership sets the tone for every patient interaction
⏳ The most overlooked moments in patient care - and how to turn waiting room time into a win for your brand
✅ Why checklists aren't just for surgery - and how start-of-day prep shapes the entire practice ethos
📱 How a custom mobile app changed the way Dr. Edens manages patient care between visits
⚖️ Balancing high demand with longer, more intentional visits - and why going deeper can actually make follow-up smoother
💉 GLP-1 medications: what patients get wrong, what's missing from the media coverage, and what proper oversight looks like
🥦 The next frontier in weight management - addressing ultra-processed food
🤖 Lessons from rolling out an AI health coach adoption lesson
🔧 Build vs. buy: Dr. Edens' advice on white-labeling an existing medical app vs. building from scratch

Resources mentioned:

👤 Guest: Dr. Elizabeth Edens
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-edens-md-286a09154/
Health Meets Wellness: https://www.healthmeetswellness.com/
Touch Care Method: https://www.touchcaremethod.com/

📚 Books mentioned:
Seabiscuit - Laura Hillenbrand
The Checklist Manifesto - Atul Gawande

🎲 Also mentioned:
Terraforming Mars (Jakub's favorite board game)

Timestamps:
0:00 Teaser: your energy sets the tone for your entire team — and your patients feel it the moment they walk in
1:50 Scaling Practice Management intro & meet Dr. Elizabeth Edens, Founder & Medical Director at Health Meets Wellness / TouchCare Method
3:36 Icebreaker: what does a perfect Saturday look like for Dr. Edens?
7:04 #1 tip for growing a healthcare practice: why every single moment in the patient experience matters
8:24 Turning wait time into value — how to make delays work for your practice instead of against it
10:25 Start-of-day checklists and the overlooked power of operational preparation
11:48 Building a genuinely cohesive team — why belief in the mission can't be manufactured
15:47 Inside Health Meets Wellness: balancing in-depth 1-on-1 care with high patient demand
18:04 How the Touch Care Method app creates meaningful touchpoints between visits
22:14 Tracking what patients actually eat and do — why data between visits changes the whole conversation
25:28 Driving patient adoption of health tech: removing friction and connecting habits to outcomes
28:33 Will every specialty have its own AI health coach? A look at where digital care is heading
31:34 Build vs. buy: why most practices shouldn't try to build their own patient app from scratch
35:40 Wearables, CGM, and body composition scales — the device stack powering Dr. Edens' practice
38:18 The next frontier in weight management: addressing ultra-processed food at the root
39:45 GLP-1 medications, misinformation, and what patients actually need to know before starting
47:00 Final advice for practice managers: identify your AI pain points and remove admin work first
49:09 Where to find Dr. Edens and the Touch Care Method app

🎥 See how Talkie.ai works - AI medical receptionist demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOiJ3ITTrLY&list=PLLjcCBHYN2KoBqm-Dx-8lIwWLuU-CHXSg

Why is the direct primary care (DPC) model gaining so much popularity? And what does it actually take to scale a direct primary care practice - from a single clinic to an 11-location organization with nearly 30 providers?

Dr. Kyle Rickner, co-founder and chairman of Primary Health Partners, joins Jakub Grajcar to share the full story. From the decision to leave the fee-for-service world, to the very real operational challenges of multi-site growth, to what it takes to build a practice genuinely centered on patients instead of billing codes.

We talk about:

💊 Dr. Rickner's #1 tip for growing a sustainable practice - on the importance of planning
🏥 The three core tenets of direct primary care
🔥 "Moral injury" vs. burnout - why the volume-based model doesn't just exhaust physicians, it puts them in conflict with their own oath
🤝 How Primary Health Partners went from two doctors to 11 locations - and the business partners who made it possible
📈 The EOS visionary/integrator dynamic for founders
⚠️ Why the third location is always the hardest - and the stacking complexity that breaks practices trying to grow
🧑‍💼 What to look for in a great operator - and why doctors neglect to ask for this kind of help

👤 Guest: Kyle Rickner, MD
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-rickner-md-353986111/
Organization - Primary Health Partners: https://primary-healthpartners.com/

📚 Books mentioned:
Who Not How - Dan Sullivan
Traction (EOS) - Gino Wickman

🎥 See how Talkie.ai works - AI medical receptionist demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOiJ3ITTrLY&list=PLLjcCBHYN2KoBqm-Dx-8lIwWLuU-CHXSg

Timestamps:
0:00 Teaser: how fee-for-service medicine causes moral injury — and why no DPC doctor ever wants to go back
2:24 Scaling Practice Management intro & meet Dr. Kyle Rickner, Co-Founder and Chairman at Primary Health Partners
3:11 Icebreaker: Dr. Rickner's favorite destination and a Cabo ATV-and-whale-watching adventure
7:12 #1 tip for growing a practice: plan ahead, mitigate risk, and reduce dependence on third-party payers
10:19 The story of a practice that insurance companies literally forced to shut down
12:26 What is direct primary care — and what are its three defining tenets?
14:53 24/7 physician availability in DPC: how it actually works without burning out the doctor
16:58 What physicians love about DPC: escaping the volume treadmill and reclaiming time with patients
20:04 The honest conversation about transitioning to DPC — sacrifice, risk, and the promise of fulfillment
22:33 Moral injury in medicine: how fee-for-service quietly harms both physicians and patients
27:36 How Primary Health Partners grew to 11 locations — and why they're a unicorn in the DPC world
30:04 "Who, not how": bringing in business expertise and funding growth through clinical research revenue
33:06 The EOS framework — visionary vs. integrator — and how it shaped their founding partnership
37:16 Recruiting physicians into DPC and the multi-site operational complexity that kicks in at location #3
40:17 Why they intentionally paused expansion to close operational gaps before the next growth phase
43:40 Why doctors are often the worst at asking for help — and what the ideal ops person looks like
45:59 Where to follow Dr. Rickner and Primary Health Partners

What's quietly burning out your best clinicians - and what can practice managers actually do about it?

Justin Lambert, CEO at Nomad Health - a leading digital marketplace with access to over 400,000 qualified clinicians - joins Jakub Grajcar to dig into the staffing and flexibility challenges that don't always show up on a P&L.

From how to triage patient calls the right way to why travel clinicians can be an unexpected competitive edge, this is an episode about the human side of running a modern practice - and what AI has to do with all of it.

We dig into:

👩‍⚕️ Justin's #1 tip for growing a sustainable practice - and why patient experience only gets you halfway
🏥 Why clinician experience has been quietly deprioritized for over a decade - and what it's costing practices now
🚑 What travel staffing really solves (spoiler: it's not just filling empty shifts)
💡 How the smartest practice managers flip staffing flexibility from a headache into a competitive advantage
🤖 How Nomad uses AI to help one person manage 100-150 clinician interactions a day - without losing context
🏗️ Why data architecture is the make-or-break factor for any AI system you deploy

👤 Guest: Justin Lambert
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-lambert/
Newsletter - The Road to Better Care: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/the-road-to-better-care-7356415114175995905/
Company - Nomad Health: https://bit.ly/4rC2BAF

See how Talkie.ai works - AI medical receptionist demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOiJ3ITTrLY&list=PLLjcCBHYN2KoBqm-Dx-8lIwWLuU-CHXSg

What does healthcare marketing strategy look like when you can't promise a happy ending? Jennifer Knowlton, Director of Digital Marketing at The Care Team and a 20-year healthcare marketing veteran, joins Jakub to pull back the curtain on one of the hardest niches in the industry: post-acute and hospice care marketing.

From navigating HIPAA constraints to building a patient acquisition strategy that actually converts - without the data you're not allowed to use - Jennifer shares a practical, trust-first framework that any medical practice can apply.

We dig into:

🤝 Why practices must earn a patient's trust before ever asking them to book an appointment
🏥 The 3-part digital marketing framework every practice needs: educate, humanize, and remove friction
📋 How to market across fragmented healthcare audiences (and why one message won't cut it)
💬 What hospice messaging looks like when a positive outcome isn't guaranteed - and what actually works
🌟 Why a healthcare brand is a promise, not a logo - and how to live that internally with your team
📉 The HIPAA marketing problem: why the data you want to use is usually the data you can't - and how to grow anyway
📝 Content marketing for healthcare: why blog posts, caregiver burnout guides, and "what to expect" content outperform promotional posts

👤 Guest: Jennifer Knowlton
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-k-79577816/
Organization - The Care Team: https://www.tctcares.com/

🎥 See how Talkie.ai works - AI medical receptionist demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOiJ3ITTrLY&list=PLLjcCBHYN2KoBqm-Dx-8lIwWLuU-CHXSg

What's the point of investing in marketing if your front desk lets the leads slip away? Cheri Cobb, founder of Cheri Cobb Creative and a 15-year veteran of healthcare growth strategy, joins Jakub Grajcar to expose the gap that's quietly costing medical and aesthetic practices thousands in lost revenue every month.

We dig into:

📊 Why your lead-to-consultation rate matters more than your Instagram follower count
📞 The "text, call, email" rule for following up with leads—without being pushy
🏘️ Grassroots marketing tactics that still work (and why in-person activities convert better)
🎥 How to film authentic patient transformation videos that actually convert
💡 Why great marketing will expose the internal flaws inside your office
💼 How to train your team to turn more incoming phone calls into patients signing up for appointments

Resources mentioned:

👤 Guest: Cheri Cobb
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheri-cobb-7789a0204/
Website: https://chericobbcreative.com

📋 Free Download
Med Spa Event Planning Checklist: https://chericobb.kit.com/8c6b8d79a4

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🎥 See how Talkie.ai works - AI medical receptionist demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOiJ3ITTrLY&list=PLLjcCBHYN2KoBqm-Dx-8lIwWLuU-CHXSg

🏥 Follow the podcast for more practice management advice!

Follow us for more practice management advice!

In this episode, Jakub Grajcar sits down with Melissa DelFino, founder of Modern Distinction, a practice management and leadership consulting brand. Melissa’s mission is to help medical leaders move past "analysis paralysis" to create systems, culture, and teams that actually work.

We dive deep into the often-overlooked "human" side of practice management, exploring how emotional regulation can transform patient care and staff morale . Melissa also shares a modern framework for delivering feedback and explains why leaders should consider using AI as a neutral "witness" during sensitive HR conversations.

We cover:

🏗️ Smart Scaling: Why asking for help and avoiding "analysis paralysis" is the key to growth.
🤝 The Leadership Balance: Balancing empathy with efficiency to lead a team that actually works.
🧘 Emotional Regulation: Practical "in-the-moment" techniques for staying calm under pressure.
🥪 The Feedback Sandwich: Mastering the art of constructive feedback to support staff development.
⚖️ AI for HR Compliance: Using AI note-takers as neutral "witnesses" during sensitive staff conversations.
✍️ Polished Communication: Leveraging AI to refine your tone and send clearer, more professional announcements.

👤 Guest: Melissa DelFino
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-delfino-8822a286/
Company - Modern Distinction: https://moderndistinction.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moderndistinctionconsulting/

See how Talkie.ai works - AI medical receptionist demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOiJ3ITTrLY&list=PLLjcCBHYN2KoBqm-Dx-8lIwWLuU-CHXSg

Follow/rate the show for more practice manager tips!

In this episode, Jakub Grajcar sits down with Amanda Buchanan, Director at Voyage Practice Management, a full-service medical billing company. With over 24 years of experience in healthcare management—including 16 years running a large ambulatory surgical center—Amanda shares her expert playbook for practice growth.

We dive into why the right software is the "heart" of any successful practice and how it serves as the foundation for everything from front-desk data entry to back-end insurance appeals. Amanda also reveals high-ROI opportunities often overlooked by practices, such as internalizing Durable Medical Equipment (DME) and leveraging automated texting to revolutionize patient collections.

We cover:

🏗️ The Foundation of Growth: Why your EHR and billing software is the #1 tool for scaling.
📝 Coders vs. Billers: Defining the specialized roles needed to maximize every claim's value.
💰 Unlocking "Hidden" ROI: How internalizing DME can drive massive practice revenue.
⚠️ The Documentation Gap: Why better physician notes are the key to stopping denied claims.
📱 Game-Changing Collections: Why automated texting sees 90% response rates over traditional mail.
⚖️ Winning the Appeal: Amanda’s playbook for fighting—and beating—insurance company denials.

Resources mentioned:

👤 Guest: Amanda Buchanan
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-buchanan-0b6432167/
Company - Voyage Practice Management: https://www.voyagepracticemanagement.com/

🤝 Conference: ModMed Momentum

Get access to exclusive content and past podcast episodes with the free Talkie Educational Vault:
https://talkie.ai/newsletter-educational-vault/?utm_campaign=spm-podcast-ep-17

In this episode, healthcare success and compliance consultant Jacqueline Waterhouse, COT, joins Jakub Grajcar to dismantle the idea that compliance is just a "boring administrative hurdle." With over 25 years of industry experience—ranging from clinical work as a Certified Ophthalmic Technician to high-level consulting—Jacqueline shares why a "culture of compliance" is actually the secret to scaling a practice and protecting your most valuable asset: your staff.

We dive into the psychological side of practice management, exploring how burnout leads to clinical errors and why compliance shouldn't be a "once-a-year" event. Jacqueline also shares practical advice on how to use AI to simplify regulatory paperwork and how to build a team that values quality as much as productivity.

We cover:

💡 The "Culture of Compliance": Why shifting your mindset from "checking boxes" to "protecting patients" changes everything.
⚖️ The true cost of burnout: How staff exhaustion directly correlates to compliance risks and medical errors.
⚙️ Modernizing the "Compliance Binder": Moving away from dusty manuals and into digital, living systems that actually work.
🤖 AI in Compliance: How Jacqueline uses AI to draft policies, conduct risk assessments, and save hours of administrative work.
🔍 The Proactive Audit: Why you should be your own toughest critic before a regulatory agency knocks on your door.
📈 Scaling with Quality: How to grow your practice's volume without sacrificing the standards of care that built your reputation.

Resources mentioned:

👤 Guest: Jacqueline Waterhouse
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqueline-waterhousecot/

Get access to exclusive content and past podcast episodes with the free Talkie Educational Vault:
https://talkie.ai/newsletter-educational-vault/?utm_campaign=spm-podcast-ep-16

In this episode, host Jakub Grajcar sits down with Tiffany Burke, an independent consultant with 22 years of experience in healthcare IT and practice management. As an expert in Athena Health implementations, Tiffany shares her playbook for helping practices grow smarter. We dive deep into why staying ahead of trends is the key to success , how to make tough but necessary staffing decisions , and the right way to foster a positive, team-oriented culture.

We cover:

💡 The #1 tip for practice growth: Why jumping on innovation and trends sets successful practices apart
⚙️ Expert Athena Health tips: How to properly use Practice Roles and Encounter Plans to maximize efficiency
📈 A consultant's staffing framework: How to decide when to add, cut, or (most importantly) re-utilize team members after implementing new tech
🤝 The "family" debate: Tiffany's take on building a supportive, team-first environment and why it's crucial in a medical office
💬 Handling tough conversations: A step-by-step guide to cutting staff with grace and maintaining team morale
🎯 Why your "Mission, Values, and Goals" are the foundation for every decision, from leadership to implementation

Resources mentioned:

👤 Guest: Tiffany Burke
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-burke-5b2a3320/

Other Resources:
🐒 Harvard Business Review  "Who's Got the Monkey?" (HBR Article)

Get access to exclusive content and past podcast episodes with the free Talkie Educational Vault:
https://talkie.ai/newsletter-educational-vault/?utm_campaign=spm-podcast-ep-15

In this episode, Jakub Grajcar sits down with Sanjeet Kumar, CEO of OnSure Health LLC and a 20-year veteran in US healthcare. Sanjeet shares his expert playbook for practice growth, built from over two decades of experience in revenue cycle management. He breaks down the critical steps new practices must take before opening their doors and how existing practices can stop revenue leaks they don't even know they have.

We cover:

🔑 How to use CMS.gov data to pick the right demographic area
💸 Why credentialing and billing secondary/tertiary insurance is the key to profitability
📊 How to build a practice-specific dashboard to analyze CPT codes, insurer denials, and physician performance
🛑 The critical mistake practices make: Only analyzing revenue when it's already down (and why you should do it monthly)
🤖 Which administrative tasks are ready for AI: Automating prior authorizations , claim status , and eligibility checks
💡 How to convince a practice manager who says "we've always done it this way" to embrace an outside audit

Resources mentioned:

👤 Guest: Sanjeet Kumar
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjeetkumarosh/
OnSure Health: https://www.onsurehealth.com/

Other Resources:
🏛️ CMS.gov

Get access to exclusive content and past podcast episodes with the free Talkie Educational Vault:
https://talkie.ai/newsletter-educational-vault/?utm_campaign=spm-podcast-ep-14