Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA
All things healthcare has replaced sex and real estate as the main topics of conversation at cocktail parties around the country. Obamacare, wearables. the cost of drugs, the Ebola epidemic-you name it. The new prophets are healthcare entrepreneurs, including physician entrepreneurs, who claim they will lead us to the promised land. But, are they false prophets or the real deal? Here’s how to spot a physician wannapreneur:
1. Someone who would rather be called an entrepreneur instead of actually creating value. It’s like someone who calls themself a painter who has never painted. an author who doesn’t write or a jazz pianist who hasn’t played a note in 10 years.
2. They positiively respond to 7 Meetups and never, ever show.
3. They bask in the halo of other’s accomplishments and take credit for something they did not do. They’d rather be part of circle of success rather than do the work to create it.
4. They never want to put skin in the game.
5. They expect things for free and have a sense of entitlement
6. They don’t want to get their hands dirty. Remember, doctors don’t like to wash their hands
7. They say they are innovators and early adopters, but act like the late majority and laggards, claiming, “But my patient is different ”
8. They are afraid to admit they don’t know what they don’t know
9. They show up at the first advisory board meeting and complain about the lack of parking
10. They expect to be fed and rarely pick up the check
Beware of physician wannapreneurs. You might not like what you see when you pull back the curtain at the end of the yellow brick road.
Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA is President and CEO of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs at www.sopenet.org where this blog first appeared.
