Hear What Fuel Medical Members Have to Say
Fuel Medical provides an award-winning array of custom insights, tools and actionable solutions that enhance practice performance and impact patient outcomes for thousands of audiology and ear, nose and throat practices nationwide. Each audiology and ENT practice has a story about working with Fuel Medical. We donāt want you to take our word for it. Listen to some of our members discuss the benefits theyāve discovered through working with Fuel Medical.
This month, our Ask Fuel First question is: What are the benefits of having a partnership with Fuel Medical?
In June 2023, we held a symposium in San Diego, California, where we met with almost 200 of our members from around the country. Many members agreed to talk about their experiences with us. Here are a few members discussing some of the benefits theyāve discovered while working with Fuel Medical.
āIt Literally Changes Peopleā
Lori Larsen started her career at South Valley Ear, Nose & Throat as a front desk receptionist 14 years ago. From there, she moved into a front desk manager position and was recently promoted to marketing manager. In 2017, she had an issue with teamwork among the front office staff, so she asked Fuel Medicalās Professional Development team to work with them. Hereās what she had to say about that experience:
I had Jim [Fedio] come in, and we did a whole training with my front office staff on the idea of āThatās not my job.ā He got everybody on the same page of āWeāre all one team, and it doesnāt matter what department youāre in; weāre going to help each other.ā
And it started a little snowball effect because we sat down and created what we thought our companyās culture was. Then he met with the MAs, and they did the same thing, and he met with billing and did the same thing. And then all [of] the management team got together, and we pulled those words together to create our motto.
Then we had a whole companywide meeting, and it was so cool for everybody to see what their parts were in creating [the motto] and that it wasnāt just us saying, āThis is what we believe in,ā and āThis is why.ā It was them. They created that.
And when we started this whole āWhat is our culture [training],ā you literally see the change in people because of what youāre doing. I just want to shout this from the rooftops because it literally changes people. It changes everyone, and patients can feel it when they come in the door. It truly is amazing. And Iām not just saying that; I mean it.
L. Larsen, personal communication, June 9, 2023
Ingrid Edwards, the Clinical Director at Heuser Hearing Institute, also spoke about how our Professional Development teamās training helped. She said that providing training for the Heuser Hearing Institute was particularly challenging because their nonprofit business is made up of two parts: 1) schools and 2) clinics. Having a diversity of positions results in employees often having different focuses.
Sometimes just getting our schedules to where theyāre focused is hard enough, not to mention the focus of where we want to be in three months, six months and nine months. So he [Jim Fedio] just brings us all together, makes us focus on that common cause and changes culture that way. And itās amazing.
I. Edwards, personal communication, June 9, 2023
Loriās experience with Fuel Medicalās Professional Development training impacted the practice. But that wasnāt the end. Sheās been able to work with our marketing, digital services and design teams over the years and had this to say:
Every question I have asked has been answered with kindness and learning. Weāre still learning constantly, right? I donāt know everythingā¦ Everythingās changing constantly; we canāt keep up with that all. And youāre trying to compete with competitor practices, patients coming in, and all of that, too. You have to have people behind you. So thank goodness for you guys [Fuel Medical].
L. Larsen, personal communication, June 9, 2023
An Instant Network
Nick Zeedyk, the Manager of the ENT and Audiology Departments for Pinehurst Surgical ENT Audiology, echoed Loriās sentiment about Fuel Medical having her back. Nick also appreciated the way that Fuel Medical brings members together. He had this to say:
And just from my experience with Fuel having access to subject matter expertsā¦people that are literally degreed professionals in this industryā¦ I think itās good. It brings you into a network of individualsā¦
[Also] If Iām managing a practice and youāre managing a practice, right? We may not necessarily talk to each other or see each other, but I can reach out to my regional manager [David Brauhn] from Fuel, and heāll be like, āYou know, I think thereās another guy going through a similar problem or this gal over here has got something going onā¦Letās reach out to them real quick and get you guys in touch.ā So it really opens a network of people doing the same thing as you.
N. Zeedyk, personal communication, June 9, 2023
Nickās expertise is in practice managementānot audiology. But he has access to people who are experts in that field. This includes some of Fuel Medicalās employees, like Rose DuLude, Director of Audiology, and Don Nielsen, Audiology University Advisor, who are both doctors of audiology. Nickās regional director has also taken the time to connect him with other managers in the industry to solve issues as they arise.
A Support System
We also sat down with Ellen Baker, audiologist and owner of Decibel Hearing Services. She described her relationship with Fuel Medical over the years:
I started 19 years agoā¦ I was the whole business. I did everything. I did scheduling. I did testing. I did check-ins. I did fittingsā¦You know, I was the phone person. So I did everything.
ā¦These two people walk in [my office], Brendan [Ford] and Shawn [Parker], and they show me this little flip book of all their services. And [I thought], āLook how organized they are and what they can offer to meāā¦
I think probably within the first year (Iām one of the original members) as my business grew, so did Fuelās. It was kind ofā¦the same trajectoryā¦
ā¦One of the other groups kept pestering me, and they just really wanted to control my business and do all that stuff [that] I was very much against. I love that Fuel was so laid back. Itās like, āAll right, well, we have this, and when youāre ready weāll do that.ā And bit by bit, I got their marketing services and their HR services, their collateral. Almost everything they had to offer Iāve hooked up with, and itās been such a relief to me because I donāt have to worry about that part of my business. I can focus on being a clinician and working with my patients. And so thatās been really, really good.
Fuel has been very innovative and creative, thinking outside the box. Our industry changes a lot, and they are always right on top of every change and giving us solutions to those changes, which I really love. I always feel like Fuel has my back, and I think thatās been a wonderful, wonderful experience. I donāt think I could have grown as fast or the way I wanted to without Fuel.
E. Baker, personal communication, June 9, 2023
As Ellenās business grew, Fuel Medicalās services also evolved. Even when industry changes occurred, Fuel Medical partnered with Ellen to find practical solutions that worked for her practice.
Working with Fuel Medical has many benefits for audiology and ENT practices, regardless of the size. Our members have said that weāre a valuable support system throughout the lifecycle of their business. We help our members build networks with like-minded professionals in the industry. We also listen to our membersā concerns and deliver impactful training to solve practicesā unique problems. These are just a few of the benefits of working with Fuel Medical. Are you interested in learning more about Fuel Medical, or are you ready to get started? Please fill out the form on this page; weāll be happy to connect with you.