Thriving Practice with Tracy Cherpeski

Hosted by Tracy Cherpeski

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Episodes

100

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Top 5% globally ranked podcast for healthcare practice owners. Prevent burnout, grow profitably. 215+ episodes, 51 countries. Welcome to Thriving Practice - the business podcast that proves independent physicians, dentists, therapists, and healthcare practice owners can build profitable, efficient practices while actually enjoying their lives. By the Numbers: 215+ episodes featuring top-tier practice owners and healthcare business experts Global Top 5% ranking on Listen Notes among all podcasts 51 countries reached globally 9 seasons of proven practice management strategies Weekly episodes with actionable insights you can implement immediately Hosted by Tracy Cherpeski, MBA, MA, CPSC - executive coach, business consultant, and CME-approved educator with 15+ years specializing in healthcare practice consulting. Tracy brings you successful practice owners, industry experts, and medical association leaders, all united in helping private practices stay private and thrive. Subscribe now and join our community at ThrivingPracticeCommunity.com for ongoing support from practice leaders who've been where you are.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

September 11, 2026Episode 28111 min

Nobody Wants to Be the Bad Guy: What No-Shows Really Cost Your Practice – A Special SNACK Episode, EP 281

Every independent practice has a cancellation policy. The question is whether it exists anywhere besides the new-patient paperwork. In this SNACK episode, Miranda Dorta puts Tracy Cherpeski in the interview seat to talk about what no-shows really cost a practice, and why the gap between the policy on paper and the policy in practice is a systems problem, not a patient problem. Tracy breaks down the full cost of a single missed appointment (it is a lot more than the lost visit), the difference between a courtesy request and an enforced policy, and why practice owners and front desk teams avoid holding the line. She also shares how automated reminders and fee triggers let the system be the bad guy, so no human has to make the awkward call, and names the one booking change that strengthens practice operations more than any other. If you have ever waived a no-show fee because it felt easier than the conversation, this one is for you. Resource Mentioned: AI & Automations for the Smart Practice Roundtable – Request the Replay and Accompanying Resource Guide Read the full show notes, memorable quotes, and key takeaways. Connect With Us: Be a Guest on the Show Thriving Practice Community Schedule Strategy Session with Tracy Tracy’s LinkedIn Business LinkedIn Page

September 9, 2026Episode 28038 min

Building a Private Practice You Actually Want: Psychiatry, Aesthetics & Longevity Featuring Dr. Daniela Rizzo, EP 280

Burned out after two decades in psychiatric hospitals, Dr. Daniela Rizzo faced a choice during COVID: keep going, or build something different. She chose to build. In this episode, Tracy Cherpeski talks with Daniela about leaving the hospital model to create a thriving private practice that runs on her terms—fewer patients, extended 60–90 minute intakes, and a clinical environment that feels as much like a spa as a doctor's office. Daniela shares the step-by-step journey of starting a practice: defining your vision first, then navigating legal structures, financial setup, and building visibility. She explains why combining practice areas (psychiatry, aesthetics, longevity medicine) makes more sense than you'd think, how trust is your best marketing tool, and why small touches—still water, espresso, genuine presence—matter more than expensive marketing campaigns. You'll also hear about her guide for residents who want to start practices, and her upcoming book The Longevity Kitchen, which teaches that food is the first prescription. If you've wondered whether private practice is possible or how to build one that doesn't feel like hospital burnout 2.0, this conversation is for you. Read the full show notes, memorable quotes, and key takeaways. Connect With Us: Be a Guest on the Show Thriving Practice Community Schedule Strategy Session with Tracy Tracy’s LinkedIn Business LinkedIn Page

September 2, 2026Episode 27912 min

Crush Q4 Smarter: The Pre-Purchase Inspection for 2027, EP 279

Everyone says "finish strong in Q4." Yes, we want that for you. But what if the practice owners actually crushing their fourth quarter are not the ones panicking into September? What if they are the ones who did something counterintuitive in August? In this episode, Tracy Cherpeski introduces the pre-purchase inspection framework: before you buy a house, you check the foundation. So why would not you do that with your practice before you build Q4? She walks through the three layers that need to be solid—vision, systems, and financial clarity—and explains why slowing down in August actually speeds up your fourth quarter. You will hear why the energy you bring into Q4 matters, how to use your vision as a decision filter when opportunities arise, and what separates practice owners who thrive from ones who just survive. Because crushing Q4 smarter is not about working harder. It is about building on something solid. Read the full show notes, memorable quotes, and key takeaways. Request our newsletter. Connect With Us: Be a Guest on the Show Thriving Practice Community Schedule Strategy Session with Tracy Tracy’s LinkedIn Business LinkedIn Page

August 28, 2026Episode 27811 min

Stop, Hand Off, or Automate: The Framework Practice Owners Actually Need – A Special SNACK Episode, EP 278

Physicians work nearly 58 hours a week, but only 27 involve actual patient care. The rest? Administrative tasks that do not align with why they went into medicine. For practice owners, this burden is yours to own, often by accident. In this SNACK episode, Miranda Dorta and Tracy Cherpeski break down the admin burden, explore the difference between moral distress and moral injury, and share the framework that works: stop, hand off to a person, or automate. They tackle why delegation is where most practice owners fail, how to tell the difference between a task that is hard to let go of and one that genuinely needs your clinical judgment, and the three critical questions to ask before buying any new tool. Plus: why sometimes the answer is not automation at all, it is another human. If you are a practice owner caught between knowing you should not be doing administrative work and feeling like you are the only one who can do it right, this conversation is for you. Read the full show notes, memorable quotes, and key takeaways. Connect With Us: Be a Guest on the Show Thriving Practice Community Schedule Strategy Session with Tracy Tracy’s LinkedIn Business LinkedIn Page

August 26, 2026Episode 27745 min

The Hidden Cost of Chaos: How One Question Can Fix Your Healthcare Operations Featuring Srikar (Sam) Yeruva, EP 277

Your healthcare practice looks organized from the outside. But behind the scenes, samples get lost, clinicians spend time hunting for things, and departments operate like they're held together by duct tape. Sam Yeruva, founder of PYCUBE, Inc., reveals why this happens and how operational intelligence fixes it. Operational intelligence means connecting data across your workflows so you can see bottlenecks and waste in real time. Sam shares why hospitals struggle despite being well-funded, how healthcare can use AI as an assistant (not a replacement for clinical judgment), and what the four pillars of any workflow actually are: people, process, tools, and training. In this episode, you'll hear about the time biopsies were lost in a loading dock, why 99% of clinicians want to spend more time at bedside, and Sam's powerful one-liner: "Respect the problem." He also explains why picking one strategic question and sticking with it beats trying to solve everything at once. Practical, honest, and deeply relevant for any practice owner thinking about how to scale sustainably. Read the full show notes, memorable quotes, and key takeaways. Connect With Us: Be a Guest on the Show Thriving Practice Community Schedule Strategy Session with Tracy Tracy’s LinkedIn Business LinkedIn Page

August 19, 2026Episode 27647 min

[REPLAY] From Pajama Charting to Month-Long Vacations: Practice Management Software That Actually Understands Healthcare Featuring Damien Adler, EP 276

What if the biggest threat to your practice is not a lack of patients, but administrative burden? In this episode, Tracy Cherpeski sits down with Damien Adler, a psychologist and co-founder of Zanda Health, who solved this problem by building systems instead of hiring more staff. For 14 years, Damien ran his psychology practice while creating the infrastructure that would eventually become Zanda Health. He automated scheduling, invoicing, documentation, and patient communication - so thoroughly that he and his wife could take month-long vacations to Europe while the practice ran itself. In this episode, Damien breaks down the three admin tasks that drain the most time and energy from healthcare practices, why automation actually frees your brain to think and lead, and how to incorporate AI safely without compromising patient privacy. You'll also hear about the hospitality mindset that transforms patient experience, why your brain works on open loops even when you're resting, and exactly where to start if you're overwhelmed by the idea of automating your practice. Read the full show notes, memorable quotes, and key takeaways. To request the replay of the Roundtable: AI & Automations for the Smart Practice, click here. Resource Mentioned: “The 9 Secrets of Successful Health Practices” http://zandahealth.com/ThrivingPracticePod Connect With Us: Be a Guest on the Show Thriving Practice Community Schedule Strategy Session with Tracy Tracy’s LinkedIn Business LinkedIn Page

August 14, 2026Episode 27513 min

From Idea to Live: How to Plan an Event Your Practice Actually Enjoys, a special SNACK Episode, EP 275

Launching an event or retreat for your practice can feel daunting—from the first spark of an idea all the way through registration going live. In this SNACK episode, Tracy Cherpeski and Miranda Dorta turn the mic around and walk through the entire event-planning process, revealing what systems they built, what they reuse versus rebuild, and the critical mistakes that taught them how to do it better. Tracy and Miranda share their operational flow, how they use data to decide whether an event idea is worth pursuing, and the specific systems that prevent small details from falling through the cracks. They discuss the CSV export-import mishap that created chaos mid-planning, how they use Notion to keep everything centralized, and why the "pause before running" principle prevents 90 percent of their operational mistakes. Whether you are planning your first roundtable, masterclass, or retreat, the principles they share will save you time, reduce stress, and help you show up fully present for your attendees. Read the full show notes, memorable quotes, and key takeaways. Join us at the AI & Automations for the Smart Practice Roundtable August 18, 2026. Connect With Us: Be a Guest on the Show Thriving Practice Community Schedule Strategy Session with Tracy Tracy’s LinkedIn Business LinkedIn Page

August 12, 2026Episode 27447 min

Stop Overpaying Taxes: A Tax Strategist Reveals the Strategies Doctors Are Missing Featuring Rachel Michaelov, EP 274

Here's a question most practice owners don't ask their accountant: Do I actually owe this much? In this episode, Tracy Cherpeski talks with Rachel Michaelov, an Enrolled Agent and tax strategist who works exclusively with high-earning healthcare professionals. Rachel is the founder of Empire Tax Advisors and Practice Wealth Partners, and she has one mission: help doctors and dentists stop overpaying their taxes. Rachel shares why most healthcare providers work with reactive CPAs instead of proactive tax strategists, the three most expensive mistakes she sees practice owners making, and strategies like cost segregation and R&D credits that could save you hundreds of thousands of dollars. She walks through a real example: a doctor with a $1.2 million tax liability who ended up with a $24,000 refund. If you've ever felt like financial stress is stealing your time, your peace of mind, or your ability to reward your team, this conversation is for you. Rachel gets real about why this matters for your life, not just your spreadsheet. Read the full show notes, memorable quotes, and key takeaways. Connect With Us: Be a Guest on the Show Thriving Practice Community Schedule Strategy Session with Tracy Tracy’s LinkedIn

August 5, 2026Episode 27313 min

Infrastructure for Readiness: The Missing Foundation of Sustainable Practice Growth, EP 273

What if the thing blocking your practice growth isn't ambition or intelligence, but infrastructure? In this episode, Tracy Cherpeski shares what she learned at the American Association of Medical Society Executives conference—a crystallized insight about why sustainable growth depends entirely on the deliberate, measurable foundation you build before (and while) you scale. Hear how to identify your practice's specific bottlenecks, why readiness isn't a destination but a choice, and how to think strategically about systems, delegation, and tools (like AI) so they actually serve your practice instead of creating more chaos. For practice owners wrestling with how to grow without burning out, this episode offers both the philosophy and the practical framework to build differently. Join us August 18, 2026 (or request the replay): AI, Automations & The Smart Practice: A Private Roundtable Read the full show notes, memorable quotes, and key takeaways. Connect With Us: Be a Guest on the Show Thriving Practice Community Schedule Strategy Session with Tracy Tracy’s LinkedIn Business LinkedIn Page

July 29, 2026Episode 27237 min

Before You Buy AI: The Smarter Way to Cut Admin Burden and Grow Your Practice Featuring Clark Van Oyen, EP 272

How much of your team's day disappears into phone calls, faxes, and data entry? In this episode, Tracy Cherpeski sits down with Clark Van Oyen, founder of Cortico Health — a company that has helped nearly 10,000healthcare professionals reduce administrative burden through smart automation and better workflow design. Clark's journey began with a single pediatric clinic drowning in 800 phone calls a day. After moving booking online, the calls all but disappeared — and the practice grew from 12 physicians to 22 in just 18 months. Today his mission is to isolate, understand, and eliminate anything that pulls providers away from patient care. You'll hear why scheduling eats up about 40 percent of support staff time, where admin burden hides in plain sight, why AI phone systems fully resolve only about half of patient calls, and the single most valuable habit a practice owner can build: holding vendors accountable for outcomes, not methods. Clark also shares the free fixes hiding on your practice website. If you've ever wondered whether your practice really needs AI — or just needs the right assessment first — this conversation is for you. Read the full show notes, memorable quotes, and key takeaways. Want to keep the conversation going? Join us for a free AI roundtable featuring Dr. Sarah Baldwin, a physician who has used automation to reshape her own practice. We'll talk through how to decide which tools actually earn a place in your practice — and which ones don't. Save your spot on August 18, 2026, Register here at PracticeSuccess.co/SmartPractice Connect With Us: Be a Guest on the Show Thriving Practice Community Schedule Strategy Session with Tracy Tracy’s LinkedIn Business LinkedIn Page