Doctordemographics Podcast

This week our episode deals with presenting the reasons the patient base should choose YOUR practice and how you can present the benefits of seeking can in a more persuasive manner. It is based upon tools we call Agenda Setting and Framing Theories and they are cutting-edge market research. They have been proven wildly effective in recent decades to help "move the needle" for healthcare practices to not only choose YOUR practice but to build a loyal and enthusiastic patient base. When you are ready Doctor Demographics can customize your image and practice promotion to make them more effective and targeted. Come to www.DoctorDemographics.com to get a sample report and a price quote.

Here is a recording of our Live Youtube stream where Mike Green talks about the 5 Keys for a Successful Practice Placement. He also answer a few live questions along the way from doctors who were on with us live. Want to join us for our next broadcast? We'll be live again next Friday at noon eastern on our YouTube channel found at this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxB3_hnovfETy3okc3yQudA 

To REALLY meet the healthcare wants and needs of a population, it is necessary to know them well. Otherwise, you will spend time and effort on activities and advertising that won't work. This episode starts with the basic assumption that too many doctors believe the ideal patient base will look like they do (fit their demographic profile). Their unique point of view will be lost as providers carry out these assumptions without doing good research. The Marketing Report and Practice Site Viability provide inexpensive research tools to help doctors learn about the lifestyles of patients in locations they are considering. As an aside, this is cutting-edge research technology provided by great vendors!   Visit our website at www.doctordemographics.com to get samples of these reports

There are two paths of development going on in the world right now. They are diverging. The first is localization. That suggests that systems are getting smaller and seem focused on businesses and practices that are smaller and more focused on people. Up until now, it appears we have been going toward more globalization. This is making systems (governments and institutions less responsive to people and individuals). For a long time, it seemed the level of complexity of customer service was demanding practices become ever larger. As we speak, patients can take advantage of more individual attention and customization.   Rather than grow ever larger in an environment of "one size fits all" patients and customers seek to want a simpler, customizable approach. This may translate to less expensive overhead, improved customer service, and happier patients. Overall, it is reflected in the research on market conditions, demographics, and customer care

What is the true potential of American healthcare when contrasted with Rival nations (such as China) which have been talking smack about the medical and dental programs in the U.S.? To be fair, the U.S. has been unrivaled in the world. By contrast, China (and others) have a great deal of political meddling get into their research and teaching. To make my case, we examine data on life expectancy to prove the point that the outcomes have been superior in the American system.

Right before our eyes, America's cities are being reinvented and reimagined. They are not what we have seen before. This short episode shows just how America is changing. The Davos Economic Forum Predicted (and Mandated) that Americans would prefer one direction for America's future. It seems that we are heading in a new direction entirely. Doctors should be aware that places they want to practice in are diverging from what the ruling Elites have told us to expect (and demand).

We want to explore how there exists a cross-over between Desirable Demographics and the attitudes within a patient base to purchase healthcare.  This episode explores those demographic factors.  In fact, we have even included a partial list of some U.S. cities that demonstrate these factors so you can see what kinds of places we are talking about.   They are not the fastest growing places nor are they the most affluent but they represent a  solid and safe investment.

It might be desirable to concentrate only on those locations that are growing when choosing a place to practice. Still, that isn't always the best choice. Some areas may not be increasing in size, but they have favorable demographics (such as employment, age, or income). The locations that are showing "out-migration" are the ones we see as having the most risk. Three of these were once growing but have reversed their trends.  These include Oregon, Washington, and Colorado.  This episode describes just WHY these formerly thriving places are losing population (surprisingly). Some of these sites are pricing themselves out of the market. Of particular note is the very high tax rate we are seeing.  This has particularly surprised demographic experts at the speed of the effects on population and employment.  The market has fallen very rapidly. No one seems to know when these trends will be stabilized.

This episode is about a rising trend in Healthcare Practice Locations. When I started Doctor Demographics, clients seemed obsessed with knowing the number of competing practices (and providers) in their neighborhood/ The demographic character of residents was not the important (according to them.) This has all changed, of course but as the costs of parking and site availability rose, another important factor emerged: Walkability. This term is growing in significance for several reasons. This episode will explain why you need to know your walkability score and what to do about it.

We've been getting a lot of questions on whether or not 2023 will be a good year to open a practice. The answer is, as it often is, it depends. In this episode, Scott McDonald goes through what signs to look for in a particular area to know if it is good time or not for that location.

I have not been publishing episodes on where to put a practice lately. But in my research, I have found two states that I have not discussed for a while that might be very promising given their favorable demographic character and extreme growth.  If someone was to ask me what are the two places in the U.S. that are emerging as places with low risk and high potential, I would mention Nevada (south and northwest) and Arizona (Pima and Maricopa Counties) as two of the best. Oddly, even though the metropolitan areas are in the middle of extreme isolation (and desert), their rate of growth is truly amazing. They are not perfect (what places are?) but we cannot ignore them. In just a few years we will be talking about how many NEW practices have grown in this area and so many "experts" missed it.   I have visited all of these metropolitan areas in the last few years and by my own estimates, this represents the "low-hanging fruit in the Western United States." I just wanted to share that with all of you. 

I had a little BrainStorm Session with my Demographic Colleagues about the Mid-Term Election. Most of us came to the same General Observations. One of the big takeaways is that experts should really be cautious about claiming to know a great deal about the future of demographics in the U.S., we just don't have all the answers we thought we had. That does not sound hopeful, but it is true. These very smart people noted that there were certain trends in current demographics that they would like to ignore. That is what this session is about. The decline in the birthrate is especially important in our discussions. It seems strange that the mainstream media is ignoring the recent changes in the job market. The housing market, especially in the single-family, owner-occupied sector is largely ignored in the national media. We assume this is due to the fact that these reporters are not living in these communities. They are not concerned with consumer debt because they are affluent. Most reporters who own homes are on

This episode has so much detail, we do not have a "Short Version." I had to be complete. I define the differences between these types of sites. In a nutshell, it is important to make the distinction early on that it is more than population size and growth rate. The rural sites are not necessarily more or less desirable. The biggest difference is in population density. Rural sites are more spread out. They have more homogeneity in their lifestyles, In each practice-community area, there are different liabilities and benefits. I mention these in the narration. Demographers are generally cool (at least for now) on urban locations. They are losing population in the post-Covid world as costs, including taxes and other business expenses rise. Suburban locations seem to be the least attractive for reasons I will discuss in the episodes. I am not saying all practices have to locate in certain neighborhoods. It is certainly true that suburbs carry far less risk. Rural practice sites seem to be struggling to get a suff

As spaces for ideal practices become more difficult to locate (not to mention more crowded and expensive) finding a place that will serve all patient-bases is a growing challenge.  Rather than locate the perfect place, doctors are encouraged to create practices that will meet the needs of more "specialized and specific" market segments. Thus, it makes sense to consider a "niche" practice."   It is not so much that the doctors have to find an "edgy" approach to medicine and dentistry. They only need to find a patient population that is large enough and identifiable to pay the bills.  In this episode, we consider market segments such as culture, language, nation of origin, demographics (age, education, income for example) or psychographics (lifestyle and "values") that would not necessarily be one the radar screen of all practices.  As an example, Armenians, different religions, political or professional groups would work well.  If the local population has these people in sufficient numbers, a niche could be id

When examining the viability of a practice site, it is important to know how many competing providers (doctors) and practices there are.  That much seems obvious. But we also have to acknowledge who the REAL competitors are within a practice area. In the case of healthcare, you should be aware that not all doctors/practices are true competitors.  As an example, there is a significant difference in the range of procedures and equipment available among practices. A veterinarian may not treat and diagnose the same animals as another practice.  Dermatologists may have the same training but they offer very different care to different patient types. Not all orthodontists are the same.  In short, when contrasting doctors of similar disciplines, we are wise to judge that they may not be true competitors at all.  Only a demographer with experience can recommend a site based on the variables in practice types.  It is usually insufficient to make a broad conclusion about the competition unless the variations in practice

Several Clients have mentioned that Southern California is not looking so good as the place to purchase or to start-up a practice. Back "in the day," growth (and glamour) seemed eternal in the five mega-counties found in the area (Orange, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Los Angeles Counties). For the first time EVER, the area is losing population. Among demographers, this has been known as the "California Exodus." True, the birth rate has declined (it has lost at least one Congressional Seat) but there are some other things going on. This episode defines some of the trends. The Governor and the State Legislature are agreeing to raise taxes, restrict water distribution, and the raise the prices on land development. This episode takes about where these trends are occurring and where they are NOT occurring. We also discuss other trends that are important to keep an eye on. This would include an idea of where the middle class has gone. For doctors who want and idea of what is going on (and WHERE it is g

We have been asked about the viability of New York City as a place to practice for a long time. We thought this might be a good time to clear the air and make a definitive statement on it right now. As the nation's largest city, it is certainly a viable option. Still, the City is losing (a little) a population of -0.3 % per year. From the standpoint of a very large and dynamic community, that is not bad. There are also indications that many of the people who left are going to come back. But there is a severe bit of caution that goes along with this. The returning population is older and much less "family-friendly" than before. The large numbers of Young Adults are not as likely to come back. From an employment perspective, this might work out. Recall that those who left NYC for New Jersey and Florida still love the Big Apple but are not "starting out" as they did before. This MAY turn out to be a big problem in the future. Crime and a housing shortage are certainly not helping. But, on the other hand, the rul

This is the second episode of the Politics and Demographics podcast.    Last week, we discussed the implications of how the Mid-Term Elections are going to affect doctors.  Our theme was on the House of Representatives (Congress) and some of the changes that are likely to occur.  This week we will consider what will likely change with a turnover, even by a single seat, in a 50-50 Senate.  Polling has shown that Americans (mostly young Americans) are going to be surprised and even alarmed with the likely changes that will occur.  We do not live in a Democracy and very few are aware of how a Republic works. This is a solid primer on what people need to know.   I am a little worried about the surprise and perceptions that will come in America regardless of who wins.  There are a fixed number of Senators.  It is their relative party affiliations that are going to the cause of all the heart-burn.   This is information you need to know.

In this episode, I discuss the specific aspects of demographics that are causing all the craziness. And it is worth considering in some detail how folks seem to want to look at politics as a "blood sport." No, I don't discuss much the morality of choosing one side or another. Assigning blame is unwise. But it is true that if you are going to choose an area to purchase or start a practice, some places are going to look much better than others. Hey, that is my job. Right?

In this episode, we have taken a deep dive into two concepts that will determine your future practice success or failure. Please understand: They are not mutually exclusive. Rather, they are factors of potential that doctors must understand. Many people (including doctors and practice owners) do not grasp. Even our competitors are a little foggy about their meaning. The first is the difference and relationship between race and ethnicity. The viability of practice often (increasingly) depends on a thorough understanding of the differences. Last week, we discussed "Hispanic" countries and populations. This week we are examining their culture, nation of origin, and language. We have expanded the discussion to include other countries. But we want you to see how this can influence the potential of this information in your practice. The other concept (which heavily predicts success or failure) is demographics and psychographics. Both are vital to understanding the risks and rewards of a particular site on your pote