Allen Amorn

The best way to bring ideas to life is to flush them out in the planning stages.

 

Empowered with the knowledge and drive to transform a fatal situation into a new day for hope and the precious affirmation of life, Dr. Allen Amorn a cardiologist, has graced his patients and their families with these moments time and time again. His career path led him to specialize in Cardiac Electrophysiology.

As a physician, Dr. Allen Amorn takes pride in knowing he can help his patients heal and recover. As a specialist that is not always available with every hospital, he knows the impact he has on the lives of his patients can resonate beyond an expected reach. A Cardiac Electrophysiologist is a physician who monitors the specific electrical rhythms of the heart. Allen Amorn is a compassionate doctor with the drive to make it through the extensive educational process required to ensure his patients have the best possible care.

Dr. Allen Amorn began his journey as a physician right after high school. He began in Youngstown University and Northeast Ohio Medical University and it continued in Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. Twelve years of dedication medical education formed him into the kind of doctor who cares deeply about each individual. He is now in one of the most unique specialties in the world. Here he has been able to introduce new technological advancements to his patients that enable him to accumulate critical data even when they aren’t in the office. In addition to Dr. Allen Amorn’s extensive education, which includes training among some of the top medical facilities in the world, he strives to learn about and explore many new technologies that benefit his patients.

Where did the idea for your company come from?

I found my passion for cardiology during medical school. I had a real affinity towards electrocardiograms (EKGs). An EKG shows the electrical patterns of the heart. Also, a family member of mine underwent a catheter ablation procedure towards the end of my medical school. After seeing the positive impact of the procedure had on my family member, I was inspired to pursue Cardiac Electrophysiology as my specialty.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

My typical week is engaged in performing a variety of activities. One day I will be in the clinic seeing patients all day. I follow up on prior procedures, make medical adjustments, I see new consults, and schedule new procedures. Other days I perform cardiac procedures for those who have been scheduled. I also see patients in the hospital performing urgent procedures that are necessary at that time. We make our days productive by trying to minimize any kind of repetitive work. Rather than running back and forth from the clinic to the hospital for procedures, we’ve found a way to minimize redundancies.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I believe the best way to bring ideas to life is to flush them out in the planning stages. When I have an idea that I want to bring to our group of physicians, I will have spent hours researching it before I ever bring it to the group. Once I have a solid understanding and the goals and potential pitfalls for the idea, I will take the idea to a smaller group of people. I will get their feedback. It will usually include my practice manager or other administrative partners and another physician. Once we work it out in a smaller group it is further processed, refined and adjusted. Finally the new idea is ready for unveiling to the larger group.

What’s one trend that excites you?

One of the trends that excites me is the idea of instead of using catheters to heat abnormal tissues inside the heart is to use external beam radiation therapy for the same types of procedures. This is currently being pioneered around the world. It is likely many years away from its potential application for patients. But I think it would be exciting to do the ablation procedures without having to put the catheter in the heart. This idea is going through rigorous testing before it will be applicable to use on patients.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

I think being productive us sticking to a schedule. I get up and exercise before work. I believe in writing out a plan for the day. It helps you remain on task for the rest of the day.

What advice would you give your younger self?

The best advice I could give younger Allen Amorn is to enjoy the ride! Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the destination that we forget to enjoy the ride. The path through medical training, work, and family life. It can be arduous at times.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

Many physicians agree that patients should participate in their healthcare and it is very important. The controversy comes in exactly how much they want their patients to participate. For example, if an orthopedic surgeon has a patient who is obese, he may tell the person that they will not perform knee surgery unless that person loses a certain amount of weight. In the field of cardiac electrophysiology even if the patient is morbidly obese, despite the additional risks, a physician will perform the procedure. I also believe that it takes tremendous cooperation between the patient and physician to decide where the risks- benefit ratio is for each individual patient. I don’t think the conversation should be ignored because it is a sensitive subject.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

I strongly believe in the practice of Yoga and meditation. I believe Yoga creates a mental space from our overstimulated lives. I think over stimulated lives can over cloud our way of thinking and decision making from being the best we can be. It will give you a critical break from our over stimulated lives.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

One strategy that I like using is going to meet some of our referring physicians face to face. Although productivity would be down for the day. I think it works out in the long-run. It is a relationship building strategy for building referrals. Nurturing referring physician relationships can mean years or perhaps even decades of solid new referrals.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

The toughest issue to have to address in the industry is the electronic health record documentation. Many physicians have found this to be a huge challenge. It is easy to get behind on the paperwork. It is a critical part of the business to comply with government regulations, insurance regulation, as well as the billing process. Our solution was to utilize nurse scribes to fulfill documentation. It has been a tremendous benefit.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

One of the hottest areas in business is to help harness the power of A. I. It is still in its infancy, but the testing has to be done. The technology has to be proven. New protocols using A.I. are continually being developed and in this early stage, anyone who can get into this space early would have a great advantage.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

One of the best one hundred dollars that I spend is on my Audible subscription service. It allows me to enrich myself both personally and professionally. It has been transformative in order to digest different materials on the go.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

I use the Alive Core device. It uses both hardware and software. It is a relatively novel portable consumer base single lead EKG transmitter. This allows people to take their own hearth rhythm at home at the time of symptoms. They record the rhythm of their hearts and email the rhythm strips to my office. The patient can get an immediate response from an EKG technician. It is a wearable monitoring device.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

Factfulness – Ten Reasons Why We Are Wrong About the World. By Hans Rosling and Anna Rosling Rönnlund. It is inspiring. It highlights the tremendous steps we have taken around the world to improve overall living standards.

What is your favorite quote?

Better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

Key Learnings:

● The best advice I could give is to enjoy the journey not just the destination.
● The practice of Yoga creates a mental space from our overstimulated lives.
● The best way to bring ideas to life is to flush them out in the planning stages.
● Nurturing referring physician relationships can mean years or perhaps even decades of solid new referrals.

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