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Registered nurse Jenny Smith, left to right, Sally Coley, mammography technician, and Dr. Brad Adkins look at a patient¹s screening mammogram at the Woman¹s Clinic.

More healthcare practices, from medical and dental to physical therapy, are getting entrepreneurial about their business models.

Some may think this is born out of necessity in order to find ways to stay profitable, but oftentimes it comes from clinicians making the decision to run their practices in a way consistent with their passions, interests and lifestyles.

The issue of convenience ties in with expanding a practice’s business model as well as the importance of tackling specific needs or problems. Three area clinics — West Tennessee Bone & Joint Clinic, Sports Orthopedics and Spine and the Woman’s Clinic — are examples of clinics that have ventured into the entrepreneurial arena while holding true to their missions and patients needs.

West Tennessee Bone & Joint Clinic’s vision is to be able to diagnosis, treat and follow-up with patients with staff that it knows are skilled, qualified and professional. While Bone & Joint Clinic had already added durable medical equipment and supplies, MRI and physical therapy to its clinic offerings, it also was interested in adding outpatient surgical care. In 2008, the clinic entered into a partnership agreement with the Eye Clinic, P.C. in the Physicians Surgery Center.

“We knew it would be a good choice for quality, customer service and cost for patients,” said Donna Klutts, practice administrator at West Tennessee Bone & Joint Clinic, P.C. “It has always been important to the physicians that there be a high level of professionalism, quality and safety when they select and educate their staff with regards to those areas. It also gave the physicians the opportunity to improve access and reduce the costs of surgical care.”

West Tennessee Bone & Joint Clinic entered into the partnership because the Physicians Surgery Center was conveniently located for its practice and patients. It also afforded another opportunity to own and manage a small business in West Tennessee that would employ more than 30. “The physicians admired the aspect that the surgeries performed are from a few select specialties, and that allowed the staff to dedicate their skills and services to those specialties,” said Klutts. “They recognized the fact that 75 percent of complex cataract surgeries and more than half of knee arthroscopy surgeries for Tennessee residents are performed in ambulatory surgery centers. A free-standing ambulatory surgery center provides high quality surgical care and excellent service while saving patients and insurers money.”

“At Sports, Orthopedics & Spine we are committed to bringing patients nothing less than the very best medical care,” said Courtney Cole, the clinic’s director of marketing. “Our team of highly trained physicians utilizes state-of-the-art facilities and techniques to restore patient’s health and mobility. They work in close partnership with our patients to ensure comfort, convenience and excellent results. In keeping with that philosophy, several of the clinics’ physicians invested in Solus Performance Training, which opened in 2009.”

The state-of-the-art facility with skilled-level coaches provides sports training to anyone, regardless of skill level or age. The balanced workout structure of Solus trains the body from a functional standpoint, combining human performance with proven methods of training and body wellness to give individuals the opportunity to improve, achieve their fitness goals and reach their full potential.

“The philosophy is to not provide just a facility for fitness, but a total fitness experience, which includes skilled coaches, proper training techniques and individualized attention,” said Cole. “One of the goals is to promote healthy habits for life for each client and the community. The mission is to assist anyone who has the desire to train and take the necessary steps to develop and achieve their overall goals. We are committed to assisting all participants in reaching their full potential by using scientifically proven methods, which also include education and encouragement.”

Sometimes a new business or service opportunity comes along when least expected or from an experience. “At the Woman’s Clinic our mission, ‘always remember one woman at a time,’ is ingrained in everything we do; it is even on signs above the doors,” said Jon Ewing, executive administrator for the Woman’s Clinic, P.A. “We try to tailor our services to all women at all stages of life, and this runs throughout the core structure of our business.”

“We challenge our staff to look at how we provide services,” said Ewing. “If they experience, see or read about a service they feel is in line with our mission, we encourage them to tell us about it. If it fits our vision, then we have the drive to make it happen. We look to add services or product lines that are consistent with our mission that decrease the amount of time a women has to spend coordinating her healthcare while having to visit as few of a variety of providers as possible.”

While on a visit to a clinic in Indiana to evaluate an EMR system, staff members discovered the Ideal Protein diet program. “While patients frequently ask us to recommend a diet program, we are not trying to be a diet or weight loss clinic,” said Ewing. “It was a good program and a service we could offer the community in a confidential setting. This diet is medically supervised, and several of our staff tried it out before we made the decision to offer it. The benefits of this program address the overall health of women and it can instill confidence in them. As they lose weight, they feel good about themselves.”

The Coatsland Cosmetic Clinic, located within the Woman’s Clinic, offers two different laser treatments, for women and men, one for hair removal and the other for treating spider veins. The cosmetic clinic also offers a skincare line. The Coatsland Cosmetic Clinic was created to provide patients with a safe, physician-supervised laser clinic and professional skin care boutique, Ewing said. The clinic was added to continue and support the mission of the overall clinic.

“We strive to be a full-service clinic for women’s healthcare,” said Ewing. “We like to think that we offer one-stop shopping. You can come in for your OB/GYN appointment, get a laser treatment, start a diet and even get a mammogram in the same place. The clinic has also added an in-office, minimally invasive surgical hemorrhoid treatment and immunization services.”

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