How My Private Practice Survived The Pandemic With Dr. Noha Polack

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Hi, docs. Welcome to the Entre MD Podcast, where it's all about helping amazing physicians. Just like you, embrace entrepreneurship so you can have the freedom to live life and practice medicine on your terms. I'm your host, Dr. Imna. Well, hello. Hello, everybody. Welcome to another episode of the Entre MD podcast. And I have the amazing Dr. Noha Pollack here, and she's a pediatrician out of New Jersey. She's a student at the Entre MD Business School, and she is a rock star CEO. So I'm so excited to have her on the show and she's gonna share a lot of things that will inspire you, whether you're a private practice or out of private practice. And if you're in private practice, kind of give you some nuggets and some tips you can use to weather the storm called the pandemic. Right. Because, you know, at the beginning of the pandemic, we made a decision. We're gonna thrive. We don't know how, but we're gonna do it. So it's nice to kind of look at, you know, look backwards and see what worked and all of that stuff. So, Dr. Noha, welcome to the show.

Oh, thank you. I'm super excited to be here on my very first podcast ever.

I know, right, that you told me that right before, and I was like, oh, my goodness. Yeah. So I feel honored because this is your first one. Right. But yeah, you're a rock star. I'm glad you're on. So take a moment and introduce yourself to the audience.

So my name is Noha Pollock. I am a pediatrician. I've been practicing in New Jersey since 1996. I took a job right out of practice with a really big company, and I thought, this is safe, right? 200 physicians. I get everything I want benefits, I work, and then I go home. Blah, blah, blah. Well, three years out of residency, I found that my employer was bankrupt. Did I have a ton of loans to pay off? Dr. Una.

Oh, my goodness, I did not know that.

So I pulled myself up by the bootstraps because I had to pay all those great med school loans. And I realized that I am the only one who can give me security. Job security is in my hands and no one else's. So I started my own practice. My restrictive covenant was no longer in effect because they were bankrupt. So I told the patients, hey, I'm going to stay. You guys want to come? And they came. And I was super lucky that they did come. Obviously, it was real slow. I started with 300 patients, and it was few months before I could make money, but it was super good, and I did it. And that was 20 something years ago. Many years ago. And here we are today. I love being a pediatrician, and I honestly love running my practice. I don't dislike it, so I think it's my thing.

Wow. Okay, so I'm going to take that line. You said, I'm going to borrow it. You know, I always give you credit, but I'm the only one that can give me job security. That is so beautiful. And, you know, this is one of the things I like about you, because I need you to thank everyone listening. This is a statement she made in 19, what? 99 at this point? Yeah, 99. So we're talking 20, 21 years ago. And up until 2019, like right before the pandemic, if you said that doctors will be like, what are you talking about? We have job security. Right? We're physicians. Our jobs will always be there. But for you to have thought that in 1999, it just goes to show the kind of physician you are, that is brilliant. I, I am the only one that can give me job security. Okay, so this is beautiful. So you love being a pediatrician. You love running your own practice and all of this stuff. And then the pandemic hits, Right? Which nobody is prepared for. Nobody could have anticipated that.

Right.

And so you made a statement. I, I, it was in the in the Facebook group for the business school, I think. And you're like, you know, is the podcast. I learned so much that helped me thrive in the pandemic. So I want you to unpack some of the lessons you learned, some of the things that you practiced, and what kind of impact that had on your practice in the pandemic.

Absolutely. So to be perfectly honest, I had gotten a little lazy before the pandemic started. Right. My practice was going smoothly. We were really busy. We hired people, and everything was good. And the pandemic hit. I was like, right. But luckily, I had found your podcast a few months before the pandemic. Pandemic started, and I was listening, so I learned my lesson. What did I do first? First thing I did, because I was in quarantine after an exposure, I spent an entire week figuring out how to do a video, starting a YouTube channel.

I love it.

And then getting on to constant contact and, you know, figuring out how do I get my email list out of my medical record system and getting it onto this. Blah, blah. So I used my quarantine period, and I just started doing videos, put them on my YouTube channel. And then I sent out my first email with a video embedded in it, like you suggested on the podcast. And it was amazing. Patients called. They're like, Dr. Pollock's on YouTube, and she says, you guys are still open. I was like, heck, yeah, we're open, we're open. People were closed all around us. And we were one of the few practices at that time that were open because New Jersey was on full lockdown, just like New York. Right. This was the. Was March of 2020. It was not a good time. And so patients started to call. And then I got into the habit of doing a video a week. I started with the Facebook live a week, and then I would just take it right off of Facebook, put it on YouTube. Repurpose. Repurpose. I got that from the podcast, too. So so many nuggets that I got from the podcast that really helped me. Number one, I took my email list and I treated it like gold, and I grew it. Yep. I took it right off my, you know, emr. And I said, please, staff, if there's one patient on that record that doesn't have an email address, you guys are in trouble. Get me all the email address, then put them into this format and then send them to me. And so I did. You know, the email list was super important for my practice. Being consistent, doing a video every single week and sending it out in an email every Single week, even when I didn't feel like a doctor. Una, not always so much fun. But I. To be honest, I got better at it. The very first one was terrible. Terrible. It was like two minutes. I, like, come here. Don't forget, we're still open.

But hang on, though. Even though it was terrible, when you sent it out, an email, what was the response?

They couldn't believe it. They're like, well, we got a video from Dr. Polak. Oh, my gosh. I was so shocked. I was like, okay, that works.

If it makes the phone rings and the appointment book fill up, hey, we're all for it.

It did. So I did that. And of course, telemedicine also kept us going through those terrible three months from March till June, and it's still going great. So I love telemedicine. And at this point, I have to admit, I like doing videos. Haters are hate. Haters will hate, like you say, and I ignore them. But I give out the information out there that I believe is what I need to say to patients, and they seem to really react to it. Well, I have had so many patients come in and say, because you said this and this, this is what I decided to do. And it makes me so happy. Like, so many parents have been affected. So it's exciting.

That is so good. All right, so I have a question now, right? Because you're not a millennial, and I do not say you're old. I just said you're not a millennial, right? You've been in practice for 25 years. I want to know how you're the kind of person who can adopt email marketing, who can adopt doing videos and all of that stuff, because a lot of people at your stage will be like, I'm done. Like, there are people still resistant to EHRs. And here you are, right? You know what ConvertKit is, you know what email. Email marketing is and all that stuff? Like, what puts you in that position? Because I know. You know what I mean, right? You have colleagues who are like, what are you doing? Like, I don't do stuff like that.

Right, Yeah. I mean, I would say that. What is the term, that necessity is the mother of invention. I was pushed into it, and I was glad I was, to be honest. So for me, it was like sink or swim, right? You have to use marketing. If you don't market, nobody will come. And I did not want to close my doors. Dr. Una, to be honest, it's not the first time in my practice that I've pivoted. You can Imagine running something, anything for 25 years. Right. Means you've pivoted a zillion times. Right. I went from employee to practice owner. Then I was solo practitioner for so many years, and then I finally had the courage to take on partners. And then after that, I had to change my entire practice model because of financial issues in medicine. So it was pivot after pivot after pivot. So this was a really big pivot for me. Right. Because my whole family knows I practice what's called verbal economy.

Tell me what that is.

Oh, verbal economy. It's like, say, give me the message in the fewest words possible. All right? And they laugh at me. They're like, wow. Like, via text, via phone, anything is verbal economy. Say three words and convey the message and it's over. And here I am. I'm putting myself on YouTube and Facebook and talking and talking. And my. Oh, my goodness. I was so uncomfortable in the beginning, Dr. Una, but you did it.

I love it.

And the podcast was a huge help, honestly. I listened to some of the episodes more than once just to get up the courage to do this, and I think it made a huge difference because my practice is surviving. I can't say that we're back to pre Covid levels, because, of course, the sick kids, luckily, are not getting sick, but that means we're seeing fewer patients. But I'm growing my practice. More newborns. That's what every pediatrician wants to hear. More newborns. Right, Right.

That's. That's gold.

Because people are looking on Facebook and YouTube and a little on Instagram, too, so.

Wow.

And. And the final thing that I did because of your podcast, Dr. Una, is collaborations. I contacted the local lactation consultant and did a video with her. I did the local. I contacted the lady that does the physical therapy, and I was like, let's do videos. And we've been doing videos, nutritionist videos, so. And I. I have to admit, the first one was really a technological challenge for me, but it got done. So you taught me all that. Collaborations, videos, email marketing. Oh, my goodness.

Put yourself out there. All the way out there.

Yep.

So you've done a lot of pivots. You've embraced a lot of things. You've done a lot of new things, and you've watched these cycles for over 25 years. So what would you say to the person who just started out in practice? Maybe they're a year out. Right. And I don't know about most people, but, like, when you start something new, you're like, oh, this is Gonna be the best thing since sliced bread. It's not gonna be any challenges. This is amazing. You know what I mean? But you know that the cycle of storms is there and you know that if you're gonna be successful, you just have to become great at managing those cycles, right? So what would you say to that person who's all bright eyed and excited and they're in their first year of practice?

Honestly, I would say, do not give up. Just pivot. Understand that every single step is a pivot and that there will be many failures. I've had so many failures, Dr. Una. And I'd be like, okay, get up, do it again, do it again. Right. Have I hired the wrong people? Absolutely. Have I had to fire people? Yep. And it was terrible. Terrible. Have I taken the wrong insurances? Oh, my goodness, lots of times, Right? It's all about practicing, Right. And so I think in business, you just have to understand that you're definitely going to fall. There's no other way to grow but to fall and get up and fall and get up.

I love it. So don't quit. Whatever you do, don't quit. If you need to make changes, change. And if you fail, it's part of the journey. Like, just roll with it.

And you have a community out there. There's so many physician communities that are willing to give you advice and help. And it just. I never felt alone. You know, even. Even before Facebook, I didn't feel alone. I'd always call a colleague and say, oh, you know, can we meet? Let's have dinner and chat about this. And we would.

That's very good. And you see, I like what you said because you said, I'm not. I wasn't alone. Even when there are no Facebook groups, I wasn't alone. But if I needed something, I called, right? So for everybody listening, she wasn't alone, but she reached out, Right? So if you have stuff, you can reach out and that's okay. You know, you have to be proactive about that. That is so good. So now, since there was a pandemic, you had to do the pivots. Your practice is now where it is now. Has it changed the vision you have for it? Are there things you didn't see before the pandemic, that now it's now your dream and stuff like that? What did that, the whole pivot? Because I believe there are blessings in every crisis. You know what I mean? If you'll go through it. So what does it look like now? What's the vision for your practice like now?

My vision is really a big pivot towards much more wellness. I am hoping that these kids never get as many ill as they used to before the pandemic. Right. Like, kids would come in every two weeks with something or other. Right. Dr. Una, you know you're a pediatrician. Yep. So I'm hoping that never comes back, and I'm hoping that we can focus on wellness, and that's what I'm pivoting towards. That's why I joined the business school. Right. I am ready to move my practice towards a much more wellness model where we're going to talk a lot about healthy weight, about nutrition with kids and with families, about exercise and mindfulness. And so that's my dream. It's going to come true at some point, even if I fail at a couple of things. Exactly.

I love your mindset. Love, love, love it. And I was going to ask you, because I'm like, okay, you've been in practice for 25 years. Right. So you've been an entrepreneur for 25 years. So what would make you go like, yeah, you know, I'm going to be part of the business school. What was that thought process?

So it was one of your open houses. I heard a couple of things and I said to myself, you know what? Join me month. If you don't get anything out of it because you think you know it all, then don't rejoin. You know, it's okay. And so I joined for a month, and I am so glad. Dr. Una, there are so many brilliant doctors in your business school. Oh, my gosh. So I've connected with so many people through your business school, and we've done so many fun things that are helping both of our businesses grow. I've learned not just technological things, but a lot. I've learned a lot. And to be honest, I think I'm a much better business person because of it. So it's because I know I needed to pivot. And my mindset has always been, don't meet the patient where they are right now. Meet them where they're going to be tomorrow. I think tomorrow it's going to be all about, oh, my God, I gained all this pandemic weight, Doc, what do I do? Or I haven't been doing my sports, and now I'm out of shape. What do I do? So I'm trying to get there before they. Before September hits and they all come, oh, wow, okay.

So so much gold here, right? So much gold. So don't meet the patients. And depending on your business, it could be Clients don't meet them where they are now, meet them where they're going to be tomorrow. And it's kind of like the basketball players, right? Like the good basketball players go to where the ball is going. They don't go where the ball is at the time. And that is so, so, so powerful. And I'm so glad to hear that we passed the one month test. You know, I will give it a month. We'll see what happens. I'm glad we passed the test. That is so good. So, so, so good. So wellness, that's the new place that we're going to.

We are, we are. I am super excited. I've done a bunch of videos about wellness. I'm about to start posting like, like crazy. And I've learned a lot about how to collaborate and with whom to collaborate. And I have a lot more to learn, I'm not going to lie. Lots, lots more to learn. But I am hoping that my practice called Progressive Pediatrics in Union City and Bayonne, New Jersey will become wellness center of our community where we can talk about all things healthy. They don't just need to come in for, you know, signing their papers for school or for everyone who knows, but that they're going to be saying, oh, man, I haven't been feeling myself this week. I better get on it. So let me go talk to the doctor or to the nutritionist or whoever.

That is so good. I can't wait to see you build that. And maybe you build a model, right? And then the whole country will follow your model.

Fingers crossed. That's what I'm planning.

And I know you're planning great stuff. I know you. Now, for everyone listening, you know, before I ask her in this question, I just want, I want you to. There is a know it all attitude mentality that we can have. And of the people who I find who started off as entrepreneurs, and it's been 20 years, 30 years, 50 years, and they're still at the top of their game. They usually have the same kind of mindset Dr. Noah has, which is a growth mindset where I'm willing to still learn. I know I have 25 years of experience, but I know there's more. And if you have that mindset, you are a blessed person. And if you don't, you can adopt it. You know what I mean? And how you know is things like, you know, read this book. Oh, I've read it before. Oh, my goodness. Come on. The you that read it before, it doesn't exist anymore. You're a new you with new ideas and new experiences and new mindsets. And if you read it, you're going to get completely new things, right? Oh, I went for that conference. All the stuff they said is stuff that I already know, but it's not working in your life. Like, okay, so that means there's some dimension of it.

You don't know.

Like going with an open mind. Open mind and just have that growth mindset. It's so beautiful to see. So, Dr. Noah, thank you for demonstrating this. This is so beautiful. So beautiful.

Thank you.

So, so tell us all the places where we can find you, right? Your Practice, your YouTube channel. We want to go see all this stuff. The Facebook page where you're doing all these lives and people. You can go look at the first stuff and look at the last stuff and go like, wow, wow. Well, that means I can start where I am and then grow into it. Right. Even though I think your initial videos were good too.

But thank you. Thank you. So my practice is progressive pediatrics. So our website is progressivepediatrics.com and if you go there, there's L links to everything, YouTube, Facebook and everything right off the website. But if you want to go straight to YouTube, it's just Progressive Pediatrics on YouTube and on Facebook. It's healthy kids. Doc, Doc. So it's pretty cool. I really enjoy being on social media and I am so appreciative of the podcast. First of all, I think it made a huge difference in my practice and to my employees and also to the patients. I'm super grateful for the business school that's pushing me way beyond my comfort zone.

Well, I will admit in the entrepreneur business school, our full time job is to keep you outside your comfort zone.

I'm there.

So it just means it's doing what it's supposed to do. So what would you say to the person who is like, okay, I've heard about this entre MD Business school quite a bit. I kind of thinking about it, but you know, I don't know, what would you say to that person?

Dip your feet in the water. If the water is good, it feels really good. You're going to be uncomfortable for a minute because the water is cold initially, but once you get used to it's going to be so good and you're going to grow. Trust me. It pushes you to grow because you have no choice.

I love it. I love it. Pushes to grow because you have no choice. And for the doctor who's had a rough year, right? The pandemic rough. And they're just trying to figure out how do I build back, how do. I don't even know where to start from. Maybe my debt has kind of gone out of control. Maybe I've lost a lot of patients. Maybe my staff, they left is just rough. What would you say to that, doctor?

Don't give up. You are the best person that can give you job security. So just try to meet your next patient in the place where you think they're going to be next month. Just try to predict where are these kids going to be. I sure hope they're all going to be in school and that they're going to have to participate in sports. But if. If it's not a patient, if it's a client of some other sort, I would say that the pandemic has been pretty terrible for many reasons. But the good thing is it taught us how resilient we can be. And I think especially as physicians, we're so resilient. We've done so many hard things. Like Dr. Una always says, it's always in the back of my mind, I'm like, oh, my God, am I going to make it through this? Yes. I've done other really hard things before. Yep.

I love it. Thank you so much and thank you for coming on, people. Go check out her website, check out her YouTube page and let her be as source of inspiration for you. And you know, she alluded to a lot. If you haven't subscribed to the podcast, subscribe to it. Add it to your. Your commute. I create this for you. I showcase doctors like her for you. So you can get inspired, you can get some action steps. You can build what you've always wanted to build, whether that's a personal brand, whether that's your private practice coaching business, skincare line, whatever it is, because we're doctors and we can do it. And like she said, we can do hard things. We were pretty good at doing hard things. We did that for over a decade to become doctors. And if you're thinking about it, come join us in the business school. I cannot tell you how many doctors have said, this is the best decision I made. Whether that's for 2020 or 2021, this is the best decision, and I'd love you to come be a part of it. A community of really fabulous doctors who are embracing the discomfort and doing all the things. It's just so good. So, Dr. Noha, thank you again for coming on, and thank you for honoring us by being your first podcast host.

Oh, thank you, Dr. Una. It's wonderful being here. What a privilege.

I love it. And for everyone listening, go share this with another doctor who needs to listen to this and I will see you on the next episode of the Entre MD Podcast. Hey, if you love listening to the Entre MD podcast, I want to invite you to join Entre MD On Demand. It is my signature subscription program that gives you access to a library of business business courses designed to help you do one thing as a physician entrepreneur and that is to thrive. Just head out to entreand. Com ondemand and I love to have you join us.

See you on the inside.