Paul Walton, MD, joins Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Gary Wörtz, MD, to share concepts to help cataract and refractive surgeons avoid horror stories in the OR. He says the goal should always be to have a “boring” day, emphasizing the importance of communication and understanding with patients. The surgeons also detail their approaches to anesthesia and how to best comfort patients before, during, or after surgery.

Nathan M. Radcliffe, MD, joins Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Gary Wörtz, MD, to share his experiences managing complex patients with advanced-stage glaucoma. He shares a specific case of an 83-year-old man with a cataract and exfoliation glaucoma with an IOP of 56 mm Hg. Dr. Radcliffe walks through how he managed complications he encountered during the combined cataract and glaucoma surgery, including vitreous prolapse and suprachoroidal hemorrhage. The surgeons also discuss how to educate and counsel patients with advanced-stage disease to help them understand realistic surgical outcomes.

John Doane, MD, joins Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Gary Wörtz, MD, to share his experiences for this season’s theme of “Horror Stories” in cataract and refractive surgery. Dr. Doane reviews a few examples from his career in which he had to manage uniquely challenging situations and discusses what he learned from them. Listen to gain insights into his experiences using early surgical technology and how he approached challenges with observers fainting in the OR.

Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Gary Wörtz, MD, kick off the latest season of Ophthalmology off the Grid. This season focuses on the subject of ‘Horror Stories,’ where surgeons will highlight their toughest, most complicated surgical cases and how they managed them. In this episode, Drs. Williamson and Wörtz start the discussion by sharing their own uniquely challenging cases. Learn how Dr. Williamson managed an inflammatory complication following ICL implantation, and how Dr. Wörtz approached a challenging case of suspected horror fusionis.

Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Gary Wörtz, MD, invite Matt Jensen to round out the year of episodes dedicated to building a business and brand in ophthalmology. Jensen shares insights he gained early in his marketing career, highlighting how he adapted to variabilities in different markets and learned to grow the business at home. The trio also discusses the value of having strong, trusted partners in business when expanding into new markets, and Jensen emphasizes the importance of maintaining a consistent company culture during that expansion. To learn more about Matt Jensen's expertise, visit https://mattjensenmarketing.com/ or https://matt-jensen.com/.

Cathleen McCabe, MD, joins Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Gary Wörtz, MD, to discuss the challenges of moving across the country from an existing practice and referral network and starting in a new state. She shares insights into the dynamics of changing ownership and having a clear outline for the type of practice to join. Drs. McCabe, Williamson, and Wörtz further discuss the pros and cons of different business models and pearls for making decisions and taking risks with business in ophthalmology.

Eric D. Donnenfeld, MD, joins this episode to speak with Gary Wörtz, MD, and Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, about his experience building his practice and working with industry. He shares insights into how he grew from a small private practice by constantly adapting to a dynamic specialty. Dr. Donnenfeld stresses the value of resisting stagnation, and he explains why it is crucial to incorporate new technologies and treatments as one’s business expands. He also shares successes and failures from throughout his career and his predictions for the future of ophthalmology.

Tom Tooma, MD, founder, owner, and medical director for NVISION, joins Gary Wörtz, MD, and Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, to continue this season’s topic of building a business and brand in ophthalmology. Dr. Tooma shares insights into his early days of building his refractive surgery practice, touching on the risks taken and lessons learned over the years. He further shares advice for surgeons to navigate the financial intricacies of running a successful practice and describes the current philosophy of his business.

Marnix Heersink, MD, joins Gary Wörtz, MD, and Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and shares his experiences and philosophy behind building his business in ophthalmology, philanthropy, and more. Dr. Heersink breaks down his career path, from his first practice to his growth in business ventures beyond medicine. He shares advice for young physicians just getting started in practice, and comments on his outlook for the future of ophthalmology.

Joseph Gira, MD, joins Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Gary Wörtz, MD, to share his experience with building and growing a business in ophthalmology. He outlines his career history, commenting on his skills for working and collaborating with other doctors and the benefits of working with optometry as a backbone for success. Dr. Gira also describes his experience working in private equity, sharing potential pitfalls and successes for younger surgeons to consider.

Farrell “Toby” Tyson, MD, FACS, joins the podcast to speak with Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Gary Wörtz, MD, about the lessons he has learned from expanding his practice. Dr. Tyson shares critical elements to success in expansion, including the value of location visibility, the pros and cons of having an optical shop, and strategies to manage cash flow, drive more revenue, and attract top talent.

In the next installment of how to build a business in ophthalmology, Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Gary Wörtz, MD, speak with Rupa Wong, MD, about her experience building her personal brand and business through social media. Dr. Wong shares insights into evaluating how to invest in one’s social media marketing efforts and gives advice for creating engaging, authentic content that resonates with a specific target audience. She also shares tips for launching and building a successful private practice and discusses learning experiences, tips for networking, and more.

Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Gary Wörtz, MD, continue this season’s theme of how to grow a business and welcome Brent Saunders, chairman and CEO of Bausch + Lomb, to discuss his experiences in ophthalmology. Mr. Saunders touches on how he defines business success, emphasizing the value of having a great mentor and encouraging young ophthalmologists not to shy away from taking risks.

In this special live episode, recorded during the YoungMD Connect Live meeting in Austin, Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Gary Wörtz, MD, sit down with Shannon Wong, MD, to discuss his leadership philosophy and how he models his practice. Dr. Wong describes challenges he has faced regarding his practice and explains how he overcame them, citing how to learn from mistakes and grow the business by building a team of experts.

Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Gary Wörtz, MD, invite friend and mentor James Loden, MD, to the podcast to discuss his experience building his practice and brand. Dr. Loden shares insights for young surgeons by explaining the best decisions to grow his business and potential pitfalls to avoid. The three physicians further discuss how to discover opportunities for expanding a business and determining how it aligns with one’s personal career goals.

Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, begins the first episode of the 2023 season of Ophthalmology off the Grid by bringing back the podfather himself—Gary Wörtz, MD—as co-host. The theme for the 2023 season examines the business side of ophthalmology. Drs. Williamson and Wörtz share insights as practice owners and discuss the key questions one should address when building a brand.

Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, is joined by Jorawer Singh, MD; Jeffrey Whitman, MD; William Rabourn; and John Blanck to further discuss the intricacies of owning an ambulatory surgery center (ASC). In this episode, Dr. Whitman shares his experience as an ophthalmologist who has found success with an ASC and selling shares to younger partners. Dr. Singh addresses several challenges young ophthalmologists can face when buying into an ASC. Finally, consultants William Rabourn and John Blanck share insights into how to overcome these challenges.

In this special collaboration of YoungMD Connect and Survive & Thrive, Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, invited Caroline Watson, MD; Rupa Wong, MD; and financial advisor Victoria Consoles, CFP, EA, to share insights into how to make smart choices with debt and investments in three different career scenarios. Don’t miss the information shared during this workshop and learn answers to real-world questions for ophthalmologists to find financial success.

Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, continues the topic from a previous episode about ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). In this episode, Taylor Strange, DO, discusses his career journey from starting a new practice, increasing surgical volume, and eventually building an ASC as a long-term business strategy. Stephen Sheppard, from Medical Consulting Group, shares insights into the most appropriate road map and timeline for young physicians to anticipate if they are interested in investing in an ASC.

Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, sits down with Priyanka Sood, MD; Sahar Bedrood, MD, PhD; Cristos Ifantides, MD; and Brent Kramer, MD, to compare the differences between private practice and an academic setting. Dr. Sood shares her career experience working in both settings and explains why she found academia to be a better fit. Dr. Bedrood discusses how her personal goals more closely aligned with private practice. Drs. Ifantides and Kramer share how their private practice experiences still involve some aspects of academia, such as performing research and training surgeons.