Doctordemographics Podcast

Are you a doctor looking to establish a new practice but feeling overwhelmed by the location selection process? Join us in this insightful topic as we delve into the intricate process of selecting the ideal practice site. We address common misconceptions and guide you through essential steps that can significantly impact the success of your practice. Discover why starting with the big picture is crucial and learn how to find a location that aligns with your specific practice type. We emphasize the importance of considering factors beyond demographics and share expert tips to help you make informed decisions. Whether you're a seasoned practitioner or a newcomer to the field, understanding the nuances of practice site potential is heavy lifting that pays off in the long run. Tune in to gain valuable insights and take a step closer to realizing your dream practice location. Visit DoctorDemographics.com for more valuable resources and personalized market research to boost your practice endeavors.

In this episode, we look at the pros and cons of opening a new professional practice in the great state of Florida. 

Join Mike Green, a seasoned expert from Doctor Demographics, in this informative episode as he explores the top pros and cons of venturing into a new professional practice, encompassing Dental, Medical, Optometry, and Veterinary fields in vibrant Southern California. Whether you're contemplating a new venture in 2024 or beyond, this episode is an invaluable resource. Discover the enticing opportunities that Southern California presents, along with the challenges one might face when starting a practice in this dynamic region. If you're an aspiring professional looking to make an informed decision about your next business move, don't miss this episode!

Join us in this insightful episode of "Places with Promise" as your host, Scott McDonald, takes you on a journey through a carefully curated list of promising places and locations for establishing your very own professional practice. Whether you're a seasoned practitioner looking to expand or someone just starting in the industry, choosing the right location can significantly impact the growth and success of your practice. Scott McDonald, a seasoned expert in demographics and location analysis, dives deep into the factors that make a location ideal for various types of professional practices. From dental offices to veterinary establishments, optometry to chiropractic services, Scott explores how the local demographic, economic trends, competition, and accessibility can all play a pivotal role in determining the perfect spot for your venture. Drawing on his extensive experience and real-world examples, Scott not only outlines the key considerations when selecting a location but also shares cautionary tales and

Its that time of the year where we do our annual 'Kiss of Death Private Practice Locations' analysis for the next year. These are the areas of the country that are not doing very well or have some external forces (environmental or economic typically) fighting against you. If your area made the list, don't dismay. A little more elbow grease may be required to be successful. 

There is a plague of loneliness occurring in America, especially among men. Since the pandemic, it seems we have lost our ability to make friends and this is resulting in harm to practices and their owners.  This episode deals with the building of relationships and friendships.   It is about the nexus of demographics and psychographics for doctors.

These past few years have been nothing short of a significant shift in demographics. Everything we thought we knew about urban and rural demographics, family dynamics, and politics is being redefined rapidly.  In this episode, Scott McDonald discusses what we see on the demographic playing field and how it will impact practice owners. 

Race is a very sensitive topic these days so before I publish my remarks, I would like to make some comments. All races and cultures deserve respect.  There is never a cause to violify one culture over another. More important race, and culture are more important to heed. In my post, I said that I feared the Academy Awards may be putting too much attention on race rather than on producing quality art.    I also believe that people will have more favorable outcomes when they know what they want from their outcomes and trust their doctor more than the "fads of the day." We should be brave in trusting biology and science.   We should put greater emphasis on medicine and what unites us and stop putting emphasis on what divides us. Looking for the exceptions is bad science.   I think dropping the habit of looking for differences will help no one. In the end, I think all the talk on reparations (justified or not) will only lead to division and resentment. There is not enough money in the world to right all wrongs. R

Let's face it, some sites are better than others. Here are some insider tips for what we are seeing in the marketplace.

I just had a debate with another demographer over the criteria of what makes a GREAT location for professional practice. We could NOT have been further apart. My colleague was adamant in this opinion that things are perfectly fine. Urban areas are flush with money. Crime statistics are overstated. Besides, crime is not really an issue in urban healthcare settings. If proper security is applied to prescription pads and controlled substances, things are about the same as they have ever been (he said). I disagree. In fact, I believe ethical doctors are receiving implied threats from the patients (but I don't discuss that much in this episode). I admit that I have little direct knowledge of the "global" situation. My knowledge is more anecdotal than statistical.   Still, the rising costs of doing business in urban settings are alarming which is one reason to take a second look at suburban sites. Nothing in reviewing the data has changed my opinion.   I hope our little debate will prove helpful.

In today's episode, Scott McDonald from Doctor Demographics discusses why some areas of the country just won't grow. It seems that the nation is putting obstacles in its way that make progress and advancement as a nation more difficult and unsure. For example, the administration seems to have no plan to deal with the waves of aliens expected this week. They seem unprepared for the energy crisis on our doorstep.  There seems to be no plan to handle increased violent crime in our cities. America has hobbled itself.  There is no resolution to our banking crisis.   This is going to appear not as a single crisis but as a string of unanticipated disasters and no one has an answer.   Never before has so much faced state and local governments. Get ready! 

One of the measures of the worth and viability of a practice site is simply this: Is it growing enough? By many measures, America overall is NOT growing enough. That includes population, income, property values, and sustainability. It is certainly possible to be lulled into a state of hopelessness. But this doesn't have to be your future, www.DoctorDemographics.com is available to research the sites that give you the kind of practice value you are looking for. It isn't about finding people. It is about finding the RIGHT people in the right place. Get a sample report right away!

Will the news ever get any better for doing business in California? In this episode, Scott McDonald goes over what will need to happen for doctors.

If you are looking for a location with children or teens, this is an ideal method. As the birth rate drops, this is is really proving a great predictive method of research.

It is one thing to find a desirable location to start up or purchase a practice. It is quite another thing to create an enduring practice brand. The Two-Step Model is a useful process to do this effectively and scientifically.  This episode is a follow-up to our episode on Framing Theory and Agenda Setting of a couple of weeks ago. The question is "How do you build credibility quickly and at a low-cost *and reasonable effort.  That is where the application of this theory really becomes useful. 

Demographers have been redefining the urban sites around the United States to try to find locations with growth and money that will offer a good return on the investment if they should they be sold. The term that they have started using is the "near urban core." It requires a little more marketing and management sophistication than average but the return on the practice is excellent. This episode explains more.   Almost all metropolitan areas have a "sweet spot" like this for professional practices.

When we are looking for favorable places to put a practice, we are often drawn to those sites that are allowing or encouraging growth, particularly those sites that are encouraging the construction of single family, owner occupied dwelling units. In some states (including California) this is becoming more expensive (assuming they are even possible.) Politicians don't like them for several reasons. They don't provide property taxes like apartment developments do and they are difficult to put in utilities. They also represent challenges to voting blocks that local politicians like. Worst of all, they encourage "buy-in" that is independent of politicians. They prefer to deal with individual developers. They don't like individual property owner or their representatives. When big developers have to answer to politicians, they resent losing their power base. We are looking for a large population base that also controls building permits rather than politicians that control them like a kind of "patronage gift." When

This episode deals with the question of competition saturation. How many other general dentists (for example) should cause concern for a doctor considering putting a new office in a neighborhood? The real question is how closely the two offices match up in their definition of their marketing mix (product, place, price, and promotion?) Experience would suggest that unless they are exactly the same, there is no good reason to locate an office in another neighborhood just because there is another office that looks somewhat similar. In fact, the idea that NO ONE would consider putting a competing practice in that location may be sufficient reason to wonder about the neighborhood in the first place.  So rather than shrink away from an office with competition, it might be considered a desirable factor!

When I first started doing demographic and site analysis reports for doctors nearly 40 years ago, the art and science of this analysis were still pretty primitive. Things have changed in fairly significant ways. This includes the ways that we drew practice boundaries and interpreted the data.  This session talks about one of the BIG changes that have occurred: Zip Code definitions and drive times. Another big change is the inclusion and interpretation of psychographics.   This is one of the most significant episodes of the process of analysis of Zip Codes we have done in years. You don't want to miss it!