And who wants to plunk down thousands of dollars in furnishings, equipment and staff to open a new office, when you could be sharing an existing office for a fraction of the cost? That’s why I want to advise you about a great website called ShareMedicalSpace.com, founded by a doctor in Brooklyn. There, one can post and search for medical space to share, and you can search by location, specialty, day-of-week availability, number of exam rooms etc. This is much faster and more efficient than word-of-mouth or craigslist.

Our fees are not going up any time soon, and sharing space is an ideal way to dramatically cut the costs of running a private practice- why pay overhead by yourself, when you could be sharing it with another doctor? Searching on the site is free, and the fee for placing an ad is reasonable- $79.00 a month, which would pay for itself many times over when you find a doctor who will pay you rent.

Social networking websites for doctors and other healthcare providers are proliferating on the internet. I belong to a few of them myself and find them very valuable. PrivatePractice.MD’s focus will be a little different from those sites because this community of doctors will welcome the advice and guidance these experts can offer. There will be an exclusive “Doctors Only” area on PrivatePractice.MD where doctors can chat and exchange ideas privately, but much of the site will encourage the conversation between doctors and all the other important people who make a practice successful. PrivatePractice.MD is about the business, the logistics, and the mechanics of the heart and soul of a healthcare practice. The other sites help doctors discuss clinical issues, this site helps them learn and share best practice management practices. The end result is that everyone is happier and healthier, including your patients, your staff and you.

So please join in the conversation. Tell your colleagues about PrivatePractice. MD. Tell your lawyer, your accountant, your office manager, your medical billing staff, your life insurance agent, your financial advisor. Tell anyone and everyone who helps make your practice the success it is.