TEXT BOOK REVIEW: Comprehensive Financial Planning Strategies for Doctors

Posted on December 1, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

CYBER MONDAY

By Ann Miller; RN MHA CPHQ

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David Edward Marcinko’s Comprehensive Financial Planning Strategies for Doctors is a specialized text that addresses one of the most pressing challenges faced by medical professionals: managing the complexities of personal and professional finance in a demanding career. Physicians often devote years to mastering medicine, yet receive little formal training in financial literacy. Marcinko’s book seeks to bridge this gap by offering a structured, practical, and holistic approach to financial planning tailored specifically to the unique circumstances of doctors.

At its core, the book emphasizes the importance of integrating financial planning into the broader context of a physician’s life and career. Marcinko recognizes that doctors face distinctive financial pressures, including high student debt, delayed earnings due to lengthy training, and the need to balance practice management with personal financial goals. The book is not merely a manual on budgeting or investing; rather, it presents a comprehensive framework that encompasses wealth accumulation, risk management, tax strategies, retirement planning, and estate considerations. By situating financial planning within the realities of medical practice, Marcinko ensures that his advice resonates with the lived experiences of physicians.

One of the book’s strengths lies in its accessibility. Financial planning texts can often be dense, filled with jargon that alienates readers outside the financial sector. Marcinko avoids this pitfall by writing in a clear, structured manner that makes complex concepts digestible. He uses examples drawn from medical practice to illustrate financial principles, ensuring that readers can see the direct relevance of his strategies. For instance, discussions of liability insurance or practice valuation are framed in terms of the risks and opportunities doctors encounter daily. This contextualization makes the book not only informative but also practical.

Another notable aspect of Marcinko’s work is its emphasis on proactive planning. Rather than reacting to financial challenges as they arise, the book encourages physicians to adopt a forward‑looking mindset. Marcinko underscores the importance of setting long‑term goals early in one’s career, whether related to retirement, practice succession, or family wealth transfer. He argues that physicians, accustomed to evidence‑based decision making in medicine, should apply the same rigor to financial planning. This alignment between professional habits and personal finance is one of the book’s most persuasive insights.

The book also addresses the psychological dimensions of financial decision making. Marcinko acknowledges that physicians, despite their intelligence and training, are not immune to the emotional biases that affect all investors. Overconfidence, risk aversion, and the tendency to delay planning are explored as obstacles that can undermine financial success. By highlighting these behavioral pitfalls, Marcinko adds depth to his analysis and reminds readers that financial planning is not purely technical but also deeply human.

Critically, the book does not present financial planning as a one‑size‑fits‑all endeavor. Marcinko recognizes the diversity of medical careers and personal circumstances. A surgeon in private practice will face different challenges than a pediatrician employed by a hospital system, and the book provides strategies adaptable to these varied contexts. This flexibility enhances the book’s relevance and ensures that it can serve as a resource for physicians across specialties and career stages.

While the book is comprehensive, some readers may find its breadth overwhelming. Covering everything from investment vehicles to estate law, Marcinko’s text demands sustained engagement. Yet this density is also its strength: it reflects the complexity of financial planning for doctors and underscores the need for a holistic approach. For readers willing to invest the time, the book offers a roadmap that can significantly improve financial outcomes.

In conclusion, Comprehensive Financial Planning Strategies for Doctors is a valuable resource that combines clarity, practicality, and depth. Marcinko succeeds in translating financial principles into strategies that resonate with the realities of medical practice. By encouraging proactive planning, addressing psychological biases, and offering adaptable strategies, the book empowers physicians to take control of their financial futures. For doctors seeking to navigate the intersection of medicine and money, Marcinko’s work stands as a thoughtful and indispensable guide.

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DOCTORS: Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations, Change and Crisis Management

Posted on December 1, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd

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GENERAL

Marketing is the business process of identifying, anticipating and satisfying customers’ needs and wants. It is your unique value proposition or strategic competitive advantage. Marketers can direct product to other businesses or directly to consumers. But, we believe it is actually your strategic competitive advantage [SCA] which differentiates yourself from competitors. It is the “moat” around your business.

A Chief Marketing Officer or marketing director is a corporate executive responsible for marketing activities in an organization.  The CMO leads brand management, marketing communications, market research, product management, distribution channel management, pricing, often times sales, and customer service, etc.

Advertisingis a marketing communication that employs an openly sponsored, non-personal message to promote or sell a product, service or idea. Sponsors of advertising are typically businesses wishing to promote their products or services. Advertising is communicated through various mass media, including traditional media such as newspapers, magazines, television, radio, outdoor advertising or direct mail; and new media such as search results, blogs, social media, websites or text messages. The actual presentation of the message in a medium is referred to as an advertisement, or “ad” or advert for short. Bit, we believe that is simply how you disseminate your strategic competitive advantage [SCM] to potential clients.

Public Relations [PR] is differentiated than advertising from in that an advertiser pays for and has control over the message. It differs from personal selling in that the message is non-personal, i.e., not directed to a particular individual. We pay for advertising but pray for public relations. But public relations are not controllable but it is free, while advertising is not. PR suggests that “good news or bad news”; just spell the name correctly

Sales close the deal and collects money. Sales are activities related to selling or the number of goods or services sold in a given targeted time period. The seller, or the provider of the goods or services, completes a sale in response to an acquisition, appropriation, requisition, or a direct interaction with the buyer at the point of sale. There is a passing of title (property or ownership) of the item, and the settlement of a price, in which agreement is reached on a price for which transfer of ownership of the item will occur. The seller, not the purchaser, typically executes the sale and it may be completed prior to the obligation of payment. In the case of indirect interaction, a person who sells goods or service on behalf of the owner is known as a salesman or saleswoman or salesperson, but this often refers to someone selling goods in a store/shop, in which case other terms are also common, including salesclerk, shop assistant, and retail clerk.

Change Management is the discipline that guides how we prepare, equip and support individuals to successfully adopt change in order to drive organizational success and outcomes.

Crisis Management is the precautions and identification of threats to an organization and its stakeholders, and the methods used by the organization to deal with these threats.

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DOCTORS

Marketing plays a vital role in successful practice ventures. How well you market your practice, along with a few other considerations, will ultimately determine your degree of success or failure. The key element of a successful marketing plan is to know your patients – their likes, dislikes and expectations. By identifying these factors, you can develop a strategy that will allow you to arouse and fulfill their wants and needs. 

The Beginning

Identify your patients by their age, sex, income/educational level and residence. At first, target only those patients who are more likely to want or need your medical services. As your patient base expands, you may need to consider modifying the marketing plan to include other patient types or medical services.

Your marketing plan should be included in your medical business plan and contain answers to the questions asked below:

  • ·Who are your patients; define your target market(s)?
  • ·Are your markets growing; steady; or declining?
  • ·How is the practice unique?
  • ·What is its market position?
  • ·Where will we implement the marketing strategy?
  • ·How much revenue, expense and profit will the practice achieve?
  • ·Are your markets large enough to expand?
  • ·How will you attract, hold, increase your market share?
  • ·If a franchise, how is your market segmented?
  • ·How will you promote your practice and services?

Practice Competition

Competition is a way of life. We compete for jobs, promotions, scholarships to institutions of higher learning, medical school, residency and fellowship programs, and in almost every aspect of our lives. 

When considering these and other factors, we can conclude that medical practice is a highly competitive, volatile arena. Because of this volatility and competitiveness, it is important to know your medical competitors. Questions like these can help you determine:

  • Who are your five nearest direct physician competitors?
  • Who are your indirect physician competitors?
  • How are their practices: steady; increasing; or decreasing?
  • What have you learned from their operations or advertising?
  • What are their strengths and weaknesses?
  • How do their services differ from yours?

Patient Targeting

Patient targeting generally describes the strategic competitive advantage and/or professional synergy that is specific and unique to the practice. Intuitively, it may answers such questions as:

  • Who is the target market?
  • How is the practice unique?
  • What is its market position?
  • Where will we implement the marketing strategy?
  • How much revenue, expense and profit will the practice achieve? 

The science of modern marketing however, is based on intense competition largely derived from the interplay of five forces, codified in the early 1980s, by Professor Michael F. Porter of Harvard Business School. They are placed in this section of the business plan and include the following:

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Power of suppliers: The bargaining power of physicians has weakened markedly in the last managed care decade.  Reasons include demographics, technology, over/under supply and a lack of business acumen. 

Power of buyers: Corporate buyers of employee healthcare are demanding increased quality and decreased premium costs within the entire healthcare industry. The extents to which these conduits succeed in their bargaining efforts depend on several factors:

  • Switching Costs: Notable emotional switching costs include the turmoil caused by uprooting a trusted medical provider relationship.
  • Integration Level: The practitioner must decide early on whether or not he will horizontally integrate as a solo practitioner, or vertically integrate into a bigger medical healthcare complex.
  • Product Importance: Increasingly, HMOs do not often strive to delight their clients and may be responsible for the beginning backlash these entities are starting to experience. Additionally, some medical specialties have more perceived value than others (i.e., neurosurgery v. dermatology)
  •  Concentration:  Insurance companies, not patients, represent buyers that can account for a large portion of practice revenue, thereby bringing about certain concessions.  A danger sign is noted when any particular entity encompasses more than 15-25% of a practice’s revenues.

Threat of new entrants: Some authorities argue that medical schools produce more graduates than needed, inducing a supply side shock. Others suggest that there too many patients? Regardless, this often can be mitigated by practicing in rural or remote locations, away from managed care entities, or in areas with under-served populations.

Current or existing competition: Heightened inter-professional competition has increased the intensity and volume of certain medical services and referrals may be correspondingly with-held.  Rivalry occurs because a competitor acts to improve his standing within the marketplace or to protect its position by reacting to moves made by other specialists.

Substitutions: Examples include: PAs for DOs, nurse practitioners for MDs, technicians for physical therapists, hygienists for dentists, cast technicians for orthopedists, nurse midwives for obstetricians, foot care extenders for podiatrists and even, hospital sanitation workers for medical and surgical care technicians. 

Any strategy to ameliorate these conditions will augment the successful medical business or clinical practice plan. 

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EDUCATION: Books

SPEAKING: Dr. Marcinko will be speaking and lecturing, signing and opining, teaching and preaching, storming and performing at many locations throughout the USA this year! His tour of witty and serious pontifications may be scheduled on a planned or ad-hoc basis; for public or private meetings and gatherings; formally, informally, or over lunch or dinner. All medical societies, financial advisory firms or Broker-Dealers are encouraged to submit an RFP for speaking engagements: CONTACT: Ann Miller RN MHA at MarcinkoAdvisors@outlook.com -OR- http://www.MarcinkoAssociates.com

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BUSINESS OF MEDIAL PRACTICE: Text Book Review

Posted on December 1, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

CYBER MONDAY – BUY NOW!

By Ann Miller RN MHA CPHQ

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The Business of Medical Practice by David E. Marcinko

David E. Marcinko’s The Business of Medical Practice is a comprehensive exploration of the intersection between healthcare delivery and the economic realities that shape it. Unlike many texts that focus narrowly on clinical practice or purely financial management, Marcinko’s work attempts to bridge the gap between medicine as a profession and medicine as a business. The book is ambitious in scope, covering topics ranging from practice management and healthcare economics to ethics, marketing, and the evolving role of technology in medical enterprises. It is both a practical guide and a conceptual framework for understanding how modern medical practices must adapt to survive in a competitive and rapidly changing environment.

One of the book’s central strengths lies in its recognition that physicians are not only healers but also entrepreneurs. Marcinko emphasizes that running a medical practice requires the same strategic thinking, financial literacy, and operational efficiency demanded of any business leader. He argues that physicians often underestimate the importance of business acumen, assuming that clinical expertise alone will guarantee success. By challenging this assumption, the book provides a wake-up call to healthcare professionals who may be unprepared for the realities of reimbursement models, regulatory compliance, and patient expectations in the twenty-first century.

The text is organized in a way that allows readers to navigate both broad themes and specific issues. Marcinko discusses macroeconomic forces such as healthcare policy, insurance structures, and demographic shifts, while also delving into micro-level concerns like billing systems, staffing, and marketing strategies. This dual perspective is particularly valuable because it situates the medical practice within a larger ecosystem. Physicians are reminded that their success is not determined solely by their own decisions but also by external pressures such as government regulation, technological disruption, and the consolidation of healthcare systems.

Another notable aspect of the book is its attention to ethics and professionalism. Marcinko does not reduce medicine to a mere profit-driven enterprise; instead, he acknowledges the tension between financial sustainability and patient-centered care. He explores how physicians can balance the need for profitability with their ethical obligations, suggesting that sound business practices can actually enhance patient outcomes by ensuring the longevity and stability of the practice. This nuanced approach prevents the book from being dismissed as purely mercenary and instead frames it as a guide to responsible stewardship of medical resources.

The book also highlights the growing importance of technology in healthcare. Marcinko discusses electronic health records, telemedicine, and digital marketing as tools that can transform the way practices operate. His analysis anticipates many of the challenges and opportunities that have since become central to healthcare management. By encouraging physicians to embrace innovation rather than resist it, Marcinko positions the medical practice as a dynamic entity capable of evolving alongside broader societal changes.

Despite its many strengths, the book is not without limitations. Its breadth, while impressive, can sometimes feel overwhelming. Readers looking for a step-by-step manual may find the text too expansive, as it covers a wide array of topics without always providing detailed implementation strategies. Additionally, the book’s emphasis on the business side of medicine may be unsettling to those who view healthcare as a vocation rather than a commercial enterprise. Marcinko’s pragmatic tone, however, makes clear that ignoring the financial realities of practice management is not an option in today’s environment.

Ultimately, The Business of Medical Practice is a valuable resource for physicians, administrators, and students of healthcare management. It challenges traditional assumptions about the role of the physician and provides a framework for thinking about medicine as both a profession and a business. Marcinko’s work underscores the reality that clinical excellence must be paired with financial and operational competence if medical practices are to thrive. By blending practical advice with conceptual insights, the book equips readers with the tools to navigate the complex landscape of modern healthcare.

In conclusion, Marcinko’s text is more than a book; it is a call to action. It urges healthcare professionals to recognize that their success depends not only on their ability to diagnose and treat but also on their capacity to manage, innovate, and lead. For those willing to embrace this dual identity, The Business of Medical Practice offers both guidance and inspiration. It is a timely reminder that medicine, while rooted in compassion and science, must also be sustained by sound business principles.

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