Starting DPC After Years as a Hospitalist: How Dr. Nadia Sirdar got 50 patients in Bethesda

Uncovering Your Ideal Patient Avatar: Coaching Session with Dr. Moizah Saad

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Moizah Saad, an internal medicine physician who left California corporate medicine, moved to New Jersey, and opened her hybrid DPC clinic, Jersey Family Health. She thought: “If I open my doors and put up a website, patients will come.”Reality: crickets. On this live coaching call, we unpack the marketing blind spots corporate medicine never teaches you and walk step by step through one core shift: stopping the “everyone is my patient” mindset so she can finally speak directly to the exact patients who are already looking for her. In this episode, you’ll learn: * Why “build it and they will come” is a lie: How corporate jobs hide the business side, and why a website and a logo are not a patient acquisition plan. * “All adults” is not a niche: How trying to talk to everyone guarantees no one feels like you’re talking to them. * How to find your true patient avatar: We mine Dr. Saad’s most meaningful cases to identify her real sweet spot: mid-life women with complex, “unsolved” medical issues who feel brushed off by the system. * Using channels that actually fit you: What happened when she stopped forcing herself onto every social platform and leaned into local community WhatsApp groups instead. Meet the guest: Dr. Moizah Saad * Internal Medicine physician * Founder, Jersey Family Health (hybrid DPC, New Jersey) * Focus: complex medical mysteries and mid‑life women with chronic fatigue and long-ignored symptoms * Current challenge: unlearning corporate assumptions about “if you accept insurance, patients appear” and rebuilding real-world marketing skills from scratch. From Dr. Anne I’m building something specifically for DPC Life listeners and I want it to be actually useful, not theoretical.There’s a short 2-minute form linked below: what you’re stuck on, what’s helped you most so far, and what you want to hear about next. Everyone who fills it out gets a free, brandable DPC slide deck you can customize for Rotary, employer groups, or any community talk. You can also check the box if you want early access when the DPC Life community launches. Form + free slides: dpcfoundations.com [http://dpcfoundations.com] If you enjoyed this episode: * Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify * Share it with any primary care doc, hospitalist, ER doc, or specialist who needs to hear about DPC  * Subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode of DPC Life

Episode #1 of the Hospitalist to DPC Series with Dr. Brian Bost

After 16 years as a med-peds hospitalist, Dr. Brian Bost launched B2 Direct Care in Denver, but he didn’t completely give up hospital work, unlike most DPC docs. He kept his hospital shifts, started telemedicine-only at $75/month, and is taking a deliberately slow rollout. In this first call of an ongoing series, he and Dr. Anne Gonzalez review his hybrid model practice, pricing, imposter syndrome, and his developing hospital-to-home program. IN THIS EPISODE * Why the "all in or all out" advice doesn't work for every physician * How to launch DPC slowly while keeping a hospitalist W-2 income * Pricing: $75/month telemedicine and the $140/$220/$300 brick-and-mortar plan * The hospital-to-home program he's building for post-discharge patients * The Hospitalist-to-DPC Facebook group he started that’s growing fast, with 198 members in under a month GUEST Practice: B2 Direct Care, Denver CO Specialty: Med-Peds  ·  16 years Hospitalist Launched: February 2026 (telemedicine soft launch) Members: ~15 (word-of-mouth only) HOSPITALIST TO DPC SERIES This is the first in an ongoing series. Dr. Anne and Dr. Bost will reconnect every 6 weeks to track his real-time progress: brick and mortar timeline, wait list growth, hospital-to-home program build-out, and how the hybrid hospitalist-DPC model holds up. FROM DR. ANNE I'm building something for DPC Life listeners and I want to make sure it's actually useful to you. There's a short form linked below - three questions, two minutes. What are you stuck on, what's helped you most, what do you want to hear more about. Everyone who fills it out gets a free brandable DPC presentation you can customize for Rotary clubs, employer groups, or any community talk. And check the box if you want to be notified when the DPC Life community launches!. https://dpcfoundations.com/ [https://dpcfoundations.com/] ENJOY THIS EPISODE? * Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify * Share with any hospitalist, ER doc, or specialist who's been told DPC is all-or-nothing * Subscribe so you don't miss the next Hospitalist to DPC call with Dr. Bost in 6 weeks KEY TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Cold open — "You're either all in or you're all out" 02:00 Why a 16-year hospitalist decided to open a DPC — the family member story that changed everything 04:00 How DPC found him: LinkedIn, Facebook, and a community of physicians who actually welcomed him in 05:30 Pushing back on the all-or-nothing message: the soft launch strategy 10:30 Why he's choosing night shifts as a hospitalist to keep both worlds open 14:00 The $75 telemedicine price — and the $140/$220/$300 model coming with brick and mortar 17:00 Why he hasn't opted out of Medicare yet (and when he plans to) 21:00 The hospital-to-home program — his passion project and what it could become 28:30 Hospitalist-to-DPC Facebook group: 198 members in under a month 31:00 What's next: brick and mortar in 2 months, growing the wait list, hiring web help 38:00 Five-year vision: full-time DPC, opted out of Medicare, possibly the traditional 5-day office

From Hospital Rounds to Garden Clubs: How Dr. Nadia Sirdar Built the DPC Practice Nobody Said She Could — Part 2

You can be the most skilled physician in your city, but if nobody knows you exist, your practice won't grow. In Part 2, the real strategy comes out. Dr. Nadia Sirdar walks through the exact patient acquisition tactics that got her to 50 members- including the farmer's market funnel that outperformed everything else (and the story of Mitch, a man in his 80s who may be her most effective referral source), the fireside chats that spread through garden clubs, and the speaking engagements that led her to the Maryland General Assembly advocating for menopause care legislation. She also gets into something worth recognizing: physician visibility as an ethical obligation. In an era of rampant health misinformation, showing up as a trusted, evidence-based voice isn't optional anymore. It's part of the job. KEY TAKEAWAYS * Visibility is a clinical responsibility. Patients are being targeted by grifters. A trusted physician voice in the room matters. * The farmer's market was Dr. Sirdar's top acquisition channel- not because it was clever, but because the conversations were real and deep in a way no digital ad can replicate. * Patients need multiple touchpoints before they sign up. Consistent presence across multiple community spaces compounds over time. * One core talk can fuel five different engagements. Recycling content leverages your efforts and protects your time.  * A CRM is the difference between a patient connection that converts and one that disappears. MEMORABLE QUOTES "My patient said: 'My garden club sent me and I'm the first one. If this goes well, I'm telling my garden club.” RESOURCES & REFERENCES MENTIONED * Sibley Hospital (Johns Hopkins Community) — Dr. Sirdar invited to keynote the Foundation's Young Professionals luncheon * Maryland Medical Society — Dr. Sirdar invited to co-chair the Women in Medicine committee * Maryland General Assembly — Doctor of the Day program; site of menopause care insurance coverage legislation ABOUT DR. NADIA SIRDAR Specialty: Internal Medicine (ABIM Board Certified) Background: Former Hospitalist Practice: Bethesda Modern Primary Care Location: Bethesda, Maryland Focus: Adult Primary Care | Menopause & Perimenopause Website: bethesdadoctor.com Instagram: @drnadiasirdar Facebook: Dr. Nadia Sirdar LISTEN, SHARE & CONNECT * Missed Part 1? Go back and hear how a hospitalist defied everyone who said she couldn't do this — and built a thriving practice anyway. * Rate and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — your review helps other physicians find this show * Share with any physician who thinks DPC isn't for their background * Tag us and @drnadiasirdar with your biggest takeaway FROM DR. ANNE I'm building something for DPC Life listeners and I want to make sure it's actually useful to you. There's a short form linked below - three questions, two minutes. What are you stuck on, what's helped you most, what do you want to hear more about. Everyone who fills it out gets a free brandable DPC presentation you can customize for Rotary clubs, employer groups, or any community talk. And if you want to be notified when the DPC Life community launches, there's a checkbox for that too. Link to form: Click here [https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/form/lrhcx9ltRqPWDHM0CKul] KEY TIMESTAMPS 04:00 The rule of three touchpoints: patients say "I saw you three times before I signed up" 05:30 Why education has value even when patients don't sign up directly with you 06:00 Garden clubs, Mahjong groups, and how women's community circles became a referral network 10:00 The farmer's market as the #1 funnel — the full origin story (including Mitch) 13:00 What farmer's market conversations actually look like: deep, not fluffy 17:00 Funnel ranking: Farmer's Market → Fireside Chats → Larger Speaking Events

Starting DPC After Years as a Hospitalist: How Dr. Nadia Sirdar got 50 patients in Bethesda

What happens when a hospitalist who’s spent years running codes and rapid responses is told she “can’t” do Direct Primary Care? She launches anyway, hits 50 members in her first official quarter, and ends up standing in front of the Maryland General Assembly. In this episode, Dr. Anne Gonzalez sits down with Dr. Nadia Sirdar, ABIM‑certified Internal Medicine physician and founder of Bethesda Modern Primary Care, for her second appearance on the show. Dr. Sirdar walks through the adrenaline‑filled first six months of DPC: the senior attendings who flatly told her not to do it, the imposter syndrome of having “no outpatient experience,” the ER‑level moments with no nursing backup, and the one cardiology relationship that unlocked an entire specialist network. This is for every physician who’s been told their background “doesn’t fit” primary care and wants real‑world proof that it absolutely does. Key Takeaways * Hospitalist → DPC is more doable than the naysayers claim. Internal medicine is a continuum; the human body doesn’t change. * Colleague discouragement is loud but not data. Your actual skills and track record are better predictors than their fear. * 50 patients in one quarter is a real win, earned by consistent community visibility and a few high‑yield patient funnels. * You are now the CEO. Protect 20% of your time for business strategy, not just clinical work. * One strong specialist relationship can open an entire referral network; her “cardiology bestie” was the doorway to the Osler Medical Society. * Imposter syndrome in DPC is normal and temporary. Decades of training are an asset, not a liability. MEMORABLE QUOTES "I keep having to remind myself: I am a competent physician giving really good care. But you get so beat down as an employed physician that you forget your value." ABOUT DR. NADIA SIRDAR Specialty: Internal Medicine (ABIM Board Certified) Background: Former Hospitalist, now DPC Physician Practice: Bethesda Modern Primary Care Location: Bethesda, Maryland Focus: Adult Primary Care | Menopause & Perimenopause Website: bethesdadoctor.com Instagram: @drnadiasirdar Facebook: Dr. Nadia Sirdar RESOURCES & REFERENCES MENTIONED * Osler Medical Society — Named after William Osler, father of modern medicine; a physician networking society with 10-year specialty cohorts LISTEN, SHARE & CONNECT * Rate and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — your review helps other physicians find this show * Share with any physician who thinks DPC isn't for their background * Tag us and @drnadiasirdar with your biggest takeaway * Don't stop here! Part 2 is where it gets tactical. Dr. Sirdar breaks down her top three patient acquisition funnels, her menopause advocacy, and how she ended up honored at the Maryland General Assembly. KEY TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Cold open — "I am the rapid response. I am everybody." 02:00 Hitting 50 patients in the first official quarter 02:45 CEO shift: understanding ROI, funnels, and reserving 20% for strategy 05:00 From the end of the trajectory to the beginning — why hospitalists make great DPC docs 07:30 The real adrenaline of DPC: ER-worthy moments with no nursing backup 10:30 The discouragement: older physicians who flatly said "you cannot do this" 12:00 Her rebuttal: "Internal medicine is a continuum. The human body doesn't change." 14:00 Her mission: reaching residency directors to teach trainees that DPC is a real option 19:00 The 'cardiology bestie' story — how one relationship changed her specialist network 21:00 The Osler Medical Society: a 10-year cross-specialty physician cohort for mutual growth

“Do You Take My Insurance?” How Dr. Donna Mayeda Explains DPC Without Feeling Salesy (Replay Episode)

When a patient asks "Do you take my insurance?" — do you know what to say? Most DPC doctors freeze in that moment. Not because they don't believe in what they've built — but because nobody ever taught them how to talk about money without feeling like a salesperson. This is one of our most listened episodes for a reason. We coach Dr. Donna Mayeda, founder of Ke Ola Noa DPC in Honolulu, Hawaii, through exactly that conversation — live, unscripted, and only five months into opening her micropractice in a state where almost no one has heard of Direct Primary Care. What we dig into: * How to explain DPC vs. "concierge" in one or two calm sentences * What to say when a patient doesn't see the value in a monthly membership * Why dropping your price won't fix a value disconnect * Mindset shifts for talking about money without feeling salesy * How to build a simple elevator pitch — even if you're an introvert If you've ever felt called to DPC but scared of slow growth, confused patients, or awkward money conversations — this episode will make you feel less alone and more prepared. About Dr. Donna Mayeda Dr. Donna Mayeda is an internal medicine physician and founder of Ke Ola Noa DPC in Honolulu, Hawaii. After six years in an employed corporate setting, she left to build a Direct Primary Care micropractice centered on autonomy, accessibility, and real relationship-based care. She is one of only a handful of DPC physicians in the entire state and is actively building community among DPC and DPC-curious physicians across Hawaii. 🌐 keolanoa.com  📲 Instagram & Facebook: @keolanoadpc Resources mentioned: * Ke Ola Noa DPC — keolanoa.com * DPC Life Podcast — available on Spotify and all major streaming platforms Still not posting consistently on social media? You're not alone — and there's a fix that won't take over your schedule. The Harmony Ops Social Media Sprint is a focused 2-week program where you spend just 2 hours on setup and walk away with a full content calendar scheduled, AI-generated captions written in your voice, and your social media running automatically — no daily effort required. Built specifically for DPC doctors who know they need to show up online but don't have the time or bandwidth to figure it out from scratch. 👇 Join the Sprint and get your content running for you. 🔗 reach.harmonyopshealth.com Enjoyed this episode? Leave us a review — it helps more doctors find their way to DPC.