Irfan Siddiqui

Balance makes a huge difference in your mental and physical health.

 

Dr. Irfan Siddiqui is a knowledgeable cardiologist with the heart of a philanthropist. His desire to help others began as a child and was cultivated throughout his life. As he reached high school graduation, he knew what direction he wanted to take his life that would enable him to continue to help others. He entered Nova Southeastern University to become a doctor.

After graduating from the College of Osteopathic Medicine with dual degrees in Biological Sciences, Irfan Siddiqui moved to Michigan for his residency. A few short years after his time in residency, Irfan was given the position of Chief Resident of Internal Medicine. He served in this role for a year before moving into his fellowship. Doctor Siddiqui’s Cardiology Fellowship continued for another couple of years after he moved to Utah. Irfan Siddiqui worked through his fellowship at the VA Intermountain Health Care program at University Hospital.

Once his fellowship was complete, Irfan Siddiqui made the effort to take his knowledge back to his home in Florida. Now working in Davenport Florida at the Institute of Florida he continues his specialization in the Heart and Vascular Center. He applies the passion for assisting people with his wealth of knowledge obtained through education and experience. Dr. Irfan Siddiqui is grateful for the opportunity to serve the patients who come into his office.

Where did the idea for your company come from?

When I was a child I knew what I wanted to do with my life was to help other people. I searched for many ways to do that. Over time, I watched many people around me get sick, suffer from various illnesses and I knew I could help them. As a child, there’s only so much you can do, so I became a doctor.

As a doctor, I have been able to help many patients create better lives and lifestyles for themselves.

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

Every morning I make it a point to review my patient schedule before I start rounds, or seeing patients. This gives me time to get to know the case before I meet the patients, which allows me to begin considering options for them. When I begin rounds and appointments I am already thinking about each patient.

My patients are very important to me. If I have an idea when I walk into a room about the case, but something they share with me changes it, I’m happy to adjust for their benefit. It is not uncommon for me to join their concerns with my own and together we come up with the right answer.

How do you bring ideas to life?

Oh, what a good question. I guess it comes through a lot of discussions, research, planning and eventually execution. We have to determine if something is viable in the first place. Once we know it could be a positive thing, we can take the actions needed to make it happen.

What’s one trend that excites you?

There are so many, but the one that I think I am happiest about is the whole patient approach to medicine. This is where many doctors, not just myself, seek to treat the whole patient instead of just their given problem. We can create ways to resolve the overall lifestyle issues, instead of living in the treat the symptom cycle that brings patients back time and again.

The opportunity to help a patient create a long-term result is exciting. To know that I might not be the only person trying to help guide them to a life full of healthy choices, exercise, and positive results makes me even more excited. This leads to a more lasting impact on their quality of life.

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

More productivity for an entrepreneur or a doctor is important. Being this is the case you need a clear mind. Exercise is very good for a healthy body and mind. I would strongly suggest a doctor or entrepreneur makes time daily to do some form of exercise. It can differ daily if you need to in order to facilitate an activity that is not boring.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I’d tell younger Irfan Siddiqui to not take yourself too seriously.

Also, don’t take your studies too seriously. You can take time to enjoy and have a whole lot of fun while you’re working hard and accomplishing your goals. Everyone really should keep that in mind. It’s such a difficult thing to balance that, but those who learn to do it really go far because they are better able to recharge instead of burn out.

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

I think that people aren’t working hard enough to keep a healthy lifestyle overall. This really applies to most people I know. I’m not talking about running twenty miles a day or something like that. A little activity each day goes a lot way. Twenty minutes of exercising are all we need. Selecting more veggies instead of cake helps keep the sugar levels balanced among other things. Taking time to read builds mental capacity also. Doing these things daily will create a continual, consistent change that leaves a person feeling healthier. Unfortunately, I believe that most people spend more time doing what makes them happy at the moment without realizing the long-term consequences.

One of those long-term consequences includes being in a better frame of mind because of the exercise. You really don’t want to overdo the exercise, or even eating a specific type of food. You need to be balanced and if you’re not sure how to go about that, ask your doctor. Really, I promise, we are here to help.

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

I’m going to go back to exercise. It’s a daily routine that is easy to get into. Besides that, I also take copious notes on everything. Keeping notes allows me to track what is going on and where I can have a positive impact in the long run.

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

My patients are first. They are the first thing I focus on when I start work every day and they are the people I am doing this for. That in mind, I have found that spending time with them has made a difference in my practice. I have been able to create a lasting, long-term relationship with many of my patients. They come back to me when they have additional questions or concerns. They refer me to their associates, friends, and family when the need arises. When other doctors refer a patient to me, I am dedicated to making sure to review everything that could be connected to the reason for the referral. Then I follow up with the doctor myself after results or I have spent time with the patient.

This method has allowed me to both maintain the patients I have and help others sent to me.

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

Everyone faces challenges. I know my biggest was just trying to make sure that I was taking the right notes for each situation. Billing can’t be done well if you don’t update a file correctly. This means that you have to know what to note the right items for your billing team. Then you just make sure to include what is needed in each file. It is far easier to do with experience and as I gained more experience, I got better at maintaining the notes that our billing team needed from me.

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

We really need a way to smoothly communicate between all areas of medicine. When someone enters the ER and they are in my care there should be a way for the ER doctor to be able to seamlessly access my notes so they know what the patient was or is being followed for. It can make a huge difference in the emergency care.

So, that would be my suggestion, find something that can enable this process. Maybe an app that can be on the phone and accessible alongside the ICE contacts.

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

I purchased a gift card that I then gave away to a single mother in our office. She was one of the women who worked in the office. It was presented to her as a randomly granted gift or incentive. We knew she was under great stress and had several difficult times when she didn’t know where the next meal was coming from. I wanted to help but didn’t want to draw attention to it. This was the best I could have done with that 100 dollars. Really, it was more than 100. There was still nothing better that I could have done with it.

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

We use several office and hospital-specific programs. They are programs I don’t always recall the name for but they make a huge difference in our ability to communicate, create action plans for our patients, and ensure that our billing team has everything they need.

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

Good Calories, Bad Calories would be a good go to. Gary Taubes takes the time to explain the difference between the quantity and quality regarding calories. It is fantastic for developing an understanding of food and good choices

What is your favorite quote?

Whatever you do, do with determination. You have one life to live; do your work with passion and give your best. Whether you want to be a chef, doctor, actor, or a mother, be passionate to get the best result.

I can’t recall who said it, but really, I think speaks volumes.

Key Learnings:

• Patients first.
• Healthy body, healthy mind.
• Balance makes a huge difference in your mental and physical health.