When my Panel is full... What Next?

In this episode of the DPC Pediatricians Podcast, Phil and Marina discuss the benefits of hiring a virtual assistant and how delegating administrative tasks can help pediatricians reclaim valuable time and focus on patient care. Drawing from their own experiences, they share practical advice on finding the right virtual assistant, establishing clear expectations, providing effective training, and maintaining consistent communication to build a successful working relationship. They also explore the differences between hiring a virtual assistant and an in-person employee, including the advantages and challenges of each option. Whether you're overwhelmed with scheduling, billing, social media, or other administrative responsibilities, this episode offers helpful insights into recognizing when it's time to delegate and how the right support can make running a DPC practice more manageable and rewarding. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dpcpediatricians.substack.com

In this episode of DPC Pediatricians, Phil and Marina explore the natural evolution of Direct Primary Care practices and how physicians can adapt their businesses as their interests, skills, and personal priorities change over time. They share their own experiences of expanding services, developing new areas of expertise, and adjusting their practice models to better serve their communities while maintaining professional fulfillment. From incorporating integrative medicine and specialized evaluations to navigating insurance billing for certain patient populations, they highlight the flexibility and autonomy that DPC offers. Phil and Marina also discuss the importance of recognizing burnout, establishing healthy boundaries, and giving yourself permission to make changes as your needs evolve. Ultimately, they encourage pediatricians to embrace the idea that a DPC practice doesn’t have to remain the same forever—it can continue to grow and change alongside the physician who created it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dpcpediatricians.substack.com

In this episode of the DPC Pediatricians, Phil and Marina discuss practical ways pediatricians can improve their online visibility and help more families discover their practices. They cover the importance of creating and maintaining a strong Google Business Profile, collecting patient reviews, improving website SEO, and using relevant keywords and backlinks to increase search visibility. They also explore how blogs and social media can help physicians establish credibility and connect with prospective families, emphasizing simple, educational content based on the questions pediatricians already answer every day in the exam room. Throughout the conversation, Phil and Marina share strategies for using AI to simplify some of these tasks while keeping content authentic, as well as tips for making online marketing manageable and consistent for busy DPC physicians. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dpcpediatricians.substack.com

In this podcast episode of DPC Pediatricians, Phil and Marina discuss the importance of effectively training support staff as a DPC practice grows. They share practical insights on onboarding new team members, clearly communicating expectations, delegating responsibilities, and giving employees the tools and confidence they need to succeed. They also explore how investing time in training and building a strong team can help physicians step away from administrative tasks, create a smoother practice, and focus more of their energy on patient care. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dpcpediatricians.substack.com

In this episode of DPC Pediatricians, Phil and Marina discuss how pediatricians building a DPC practice can be more intentional about where they invest their marketing time and money. They explore why community sponsorships, school events, local advertising, and other traditional marketing efforts may feel worthwhile but often provide little measurable return, particularly for newer practices working with a limited budget. They also share their experiences building referral relationships with other healthcare professionals and emphasize the importance of finding physicians, doulas, midwives, lactation specialists, chiropractors, and other professionals whose patient populations align with the families a pediatric DPC practice hopes to reach. Through examples of both successful and unsuccessful marketing efforts, Phil and Marina encourage pediatricians to think carefully about audience alignment and focus their resources on relationships and opportunities that are more likely to connect them with the right families. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dpcpediatricians.substack.com

In this podcast episode of DPC Pediatricians, Phil and Marina explore whether the grass really is greener in Direct Primary Care. They share both the benefits of DPC—including greater autonomy, flexibility, and the ability to practice medicine on their own terms—and the challenges of practice ownership, such as financial uncertainty, marketing, and self-accountability. Ultimately, they offer a balanced look at why DPC can be incredibly rewarding while acknowledging that it comes with its own set of challenges. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dpcpediatricians.substack.com

In this podcast episode of DPC Pediatricians, Marina welcomes Citlally Mancilla, founder of My DPC Insurance, to discuss malpractice insurance specifically for physicians practicing Direct Primary Care. Citlally shares how her experience in medical malpractice insurance led her to recognize that DPC physicians often have a lower risk profile than traditional primary care physicians due to smaller patient panels, longer visits, fewer hospital responsibilities, and differences in billing and practice structure. The conversation explores what physicians should understand when shopping for their own malpractice coverage, how DPC-specific factors can affect premiums, and why having an insurance professional who understands the DPC model can be valuable. They also discuss coverage considerations for new and established practices, the importance of accurately representing a practice’s current size and services when applying for coverage, and how some DPC physicians may be able to significantly reduce their malpractice insurance costs while maintaining appropriate coverage. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dpcpediatricians.substack.com

Episode Summary: In this podcast episode of DPC Pediatricians, Phil and Marina discuss how DPC physicians can intentionally protect their time off while still providing excellent, accessible care to their patients. They share how they structure their weekly schedules around personal and family priorities, block off time for administrative work and self-care, and use tools like online scheduling to give patients flexibility without making themselves constantly available. Phil and Marina emphasize the importance of setting clear expectations with families from the beginning, including when physicians are available, how quickly messages will be answered, and what patients should do when their doctor is away. They also explore different approaches to vacations and coverage, explaining that DPC physicians can choose whether to remain available, arrange coverage with another physician, or completely disconnect as long as patients understand the plan ahead of time. Throughout the conversation, they reinforce that a monthly membership does not mean patients should expect unlimited, around-the-clock access and that maintaining healthy boundaries is essential for creating a sustainable practice. Ultimately, Phil and Marina encourage DPC physicians to take advantage of the flexibility of the model and intentionally design their schedules, availability, and vacation policies around the kind of life and practice they want to build. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dpcpediatricians.substack.com

In this podcast episode of DPC Pediatricians, Phil and Marina discuss one of the most uncomfortable but inevitable parts of practicing medicine: making mistakes. They share personal stories of clinical and operational errors, emphasizing that transparency, taking ownership, offering a sincere apology, and learning from each experience are essential for maintaining trust with patients. They also explain how the strong relationships fostered in the Direct Primary Care model create a greater margin for grace, allowing physicians to navigate mistakes with honesty while strengthening, rather than damaging, the patient-physician relationship. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dpcpediatricians.substack.com

In this podcast episode of DPC Pediatricians, Phil and Marina discuss what it means when a Direct Primary Care practice reaches a full patient panel and the strategic decisions that follow. They explore how every physician's definition of "full" is different, balancing patient volume, income goals, and work-life satisfaction, while sharing practical options such as implementing a waitlist, adjusting membership pricing, hiring additional clinicians, or expanding services. The episode encourages physicians to view a full panel not as a stopping point, but as an opportunity to intentionally shape the next phase of their practice in a way that aligns with their personal and professional goals. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dpcpediatricians.substack.com