Reviews of Realigning Medicine

Barber’s how-to manual goes beyond the obvious to teach professionals how to build a medical practice aligned with one’s principles.

The author has created a guide for health care workers that’s more than just a traditional business manual—it provides a framework for professionals to create a practice aligned with their personal values and passions. The book is structured with multiple sections, beginning with “Vision and Mindset” and continuing with “Communication: What and How.” In the chapter titled “Messaging, Mission, and Purpose,” Barber, a doctor of acupuncture, focuses on the development of a personal and professional brand that resonates with both the practitioner and patients. A good deal of the author’s advice has to do with marketing—making a practice stand out in a sea of competitors. He knows it’s not all about the practitioner, delving into “The Patient Journey,” a section that uses real-world experiences, including incidents from Barber’s own career, to illustrate how everything in a practice affects patient perception and trust (“the environment was stark and impersonal, which added to my anxiety about the future surgery”). Another section of the book focuses on “Happiness and Joy,” which provides tips on how to fight burnout and stagnation. The author’s strategies include maintaining motivation, ensuring workplace engagement, and fostering a supportive environment for both patients and employees. (Long-term fulfillment in health care is not about chasing fleeting happiness, Barber asserts, but rather cultivating joy and contentment.) Though the book is certainly aimed at health care professionals rather than the layperson, the author maintains a conversational, down-to-earth tone that makes the text engagingly readable. The work resonates most strongly when Barber draws from personal experience, including both failures and successes. In a nice touch, there are practical exercises included along the way to help readers navigate their own paths. (These exercises include developing a personal mission and a core message.) Ultimately, Barber’s tome serves as both a roadmap and a motivational guide for health care professionals who want to build a practice that is both financially viable and personally fulfilling.

A practical and readable guide with implementable concepts.