Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Suzanne Slonim.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Dr. Slonim. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I knew I wanted to be a doctor from the time I was five years old. Both of my parents were doctors. I saw how their business of medicine worked and also observed and respected the interaction they had with their patients. So when it came time for me to pursue my ambition in medicine, I moved from Miami to attend Duke University, then George Washington Medical School in D.C. followed by an internship at UCLA and my residency at Lahey Clinic in Boston. Then I relocated to California, where I did my fellowship in interventional radiology at Stanford University. Working side-by-side with the most innovative and respected doctors in the field, my enthusiasm for interventional radiology grew. There was no question that it was the way of the future – the perfect time to successfully merge my parents’ old-school patient care with cutting edge medical technology and techniques. After five years at Stanford, I made the shift from academic medicine to private practice. My spouse and I moved to Dallas in 2000, where I joined a large group of radiologists with whom I served as president for most of my tenure.
In 2016 I had the opportunity to make another exciting change. A small, radiology medical group invited me to join them in their private facility. They had started a unique practice where they were doing interventional radiology procedures in their office instead of a hospital. They had established all the protocols and gotten all the equipment they needed to make it completely safe. They encouraged me to build the type of practice I was most passionate about. So I took them up on their offer, released my inner-entrepreneur, and built the Fibroid Institute Dallas.
This was happening at a time when I recognized that America was in the midst of a public health crisis. Millions of women were suffering from the symptoms of uterine fibroids, including exceedingly painful, debilitating, and sometimes dangerous periods. To address this issue, I began to educate women about their options for uterine fibroid treatment. I provided them with a non-surgical procedure to eliminate the fibroids and ultimately improve their quality of life. The procedure is Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE), which involves passing a tiny tube through the blood vessels to block off the blood supply to the fibroids. The Fibroid Institute Dallas is now the only practice in the region that focuses exclusively on treating fibroids without surgery.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I’ve been blessed to have a lot of opportunities and a high level of determination. When we first launched the Institute, I thought women would be lining up at the door. The reality was that we started the practice in March and didn’t get our first case until May. Our appointment calendar for consultations (the first step in a three-step process) would fill up and then only two out of 10 women would show up. We thought that dozens of referring doctors would be sending us patients in droves. We developed a referral base of a total of three doctors.
The good news is that we identified and resolved many of our obstacles and the outcomes began to align with our initial expectations. We developed a brand, clarified strategies, and have built a fantastic team that takes great care of our patients. Our first year we had the three doctors that referred six patients. Now we have over 200 referring doctors and are treating hundreds of women per year.
Fibroid Institute Dallas – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Our company is the Fibroid Institute Dallas, an outpatient medical practice focusing on providing concierge medical care to women seeking non-surgical treatment of fibroids. I built the Institute out of concern for the high incidence of surgeries to treat uterine fibroids. We are dedicated to educating women about their treatment options, empowering them to make the right medical decisions for their own situation, and expanding access to the minimally invasive Uterine Fibroid Embolization procedure. I am responsible for the overall operation of the Institute, from directing my incredible staff on the day-to-day details to creating, communicating, and implementing our mission, vision, and strategy.
A big part of our mission is to educate women that hysterectomy is not their only option. A lot of women don’t want to have a hysterectomy. For some of them, it’s just that they don’t want any surgery. For others, they don’t want to lose their uterus. We have community outreach events where we invite women who have fibroids to a party with other women who have had the UFE procedure. It gives them an opportunity to ask questions and hear the personal stories of other women who have been through the same situation. It helps put women at ease. Many of my patients have volunteered to speak to women who are considering UFE but still have questions. I’m very proud that I’m building a community of women helping women.
What sets the Fibroid Institute Dallas apart from other practices is our vast experience and personal service. I did my first UFE procedure in 1997, and I’ve been doing them ever since. Everyone in the office is attuned to the issues women with fibroids are facing. As I have a deep understanding of what patients are contending with, I’m known for providing very personalized care. For example, all of my patients have my cell phone number and I treat each patient like she’s my sister.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My company is still young, so I’m excited about our enormous growth potential. Over the next few years, my focus will be on opening Fibroid Institutes across the country while impacting the lives of thousands of women from coast to coast.
Contact Info:
- Address: 12400 Coit Road, Suite 505
Dallas, TX 75251 - Website: FibroidFree.com
- Phone: 214-838-6440
- Email: info@fibroidfree.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fibroidfreemd/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fibroidfreemd
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/FibroidFreeMD
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