OVERVIEW

Dr. Paul Lenkowski, M.D., Ph.D., is a board certified Otolaryngologist and an accomplished head, neck and sinus surgeon. In 2018, Dr. Lenkowski decided that patient-centric care was more important than what the “machine,” the hospital, wanted and it was time to make a change. Dr. Lenkowski was ready to leave his job working for a hospital to go to private practice.

He had to decide exactly how that would look to him; would he become part of an established practice, would he find a partner, or start a solo practice? Dr. Lenkowski had a lot riding on this decision: his reputation, his livelihood, his family and his patients. Plus, he had a former employer who told him that he would fail. As the son of an ironworker, he knew that working hard in conjunction with others for the benefit of the patient was where he would find success and pleasure.

The big question was, did he want a lack of control, or did he have the confidence to take a risk? Knowing what he didn’t know, Dr. Lenkowski contacted Eggleston & Eggleston on a referral from a colleague.

THE CHALLENGES

Dr. Lenkowski knew he wanted to provide patient-centered care, including in-office sinus procedures. He had several options and had to decide which one was best for him. After his first conversation with Rich Eggleston, Dr. Lenkowski understood what each alternative would require of him and how Eggleston & Eggleston could support him in his endeavors.

The two decided that while Dr. Lenkowski reviewed all of the information Rich had provided about his options, Rich would review the viability of Dr. Lenkowski starting his own practice based on the non-compete clause from his previous employer, his reputation in the community, and the likelihood of success of an ENT practice in Roanoke.

The challenges for Dr. Lenkowski included every aspect of private practice from contracts with insurance companies, credentials at hospitals, compliance and regulations of healthcare, and malpractice insurance to payroll, physical location and size, employees, marketing and income. Further, he had a non-compete with his former employer he had to navigate through. Success would rely on him not making critical mistakes from the beginning.

THE STRATEGIES 

A couple of weeks after their initial meeting, both Eggleston & Eggleston and Dr. Lenkowski came to the same conclusion. A private solo practice was the way ahead. Eggleston & Eggleston became like a senior partner to Dr. Lenkowski. A senior partner who had the knowledge and willingness to do everything that needed to be done so Dr. Lenkowski could treat patients.

Eggleston & Eggleston laid out a very clear path for the new practice. They were able to show exactly what the cost and benefits would be, the steps that had to be taken, and the timeline.

Once the unknowns were clear, Dr. Lenkowski knew he had made the right decision. Eggleston & Eggleston would take care of the turn-key management of establishing and maintaining the practice. Dr. Lenkowski would treat patients with the best care in the Roanoke area using individualized patient-centric care.

THE RESULTS 

Dr. Lenkowski opened his solo practice, Roanoke Valley ENT & Allergy, in November 2018, and within two months, he was turning a profit. Combining Rich Eggleston’s experience with Dr. Lenkowski’s priority to do the right thing for his patients, the benefits were well received by the community.

Dr. Lenkowski can practice medicine his way, “treating the patient in front of me!” while providing value to his patients. Dr. Lenkowski knows that he could not have accomplished any of this without Eggleston & Eggleston. His success is entirely dependent on his relationship with them. The reliability and follow-through care of Rich Eggleston’s staff are essential to ROVA ENT’s success.

Dr. Lenkowski is confident in his practice because he knows exactly what to expect. He can treat patients all day and then go home to spend quality time with his family because he knows that when Eggleston & Eggleston says they will do something, they will not only do it, but they will do it better than anyone else.

– Dr. Paul Lenkowski, Roanoke Valley ENT & Allergy