Like all of my fellow physicians, I work hard to earn my income. I studied for years, and often work long and erratic hours and am now battling the economic squeeze felt by many of us.

So, like everyone else, I want to do the best I can managing the money I earn. While successful money management is always a challenge, particularly when you are as busy as most of us are, it is incredibly difficult given the crisis in the financial markets.

Thankfully, iMedExchange gets it! They get us! They listen to the needs of physicians and they are working hard to deliver value and solutions as quickly as possible, particularly in light of our need to protect our earnings from uncertain financial markets.

There is wisdom in crowds. As our community on iMedExchange grows...and by the way, we are the fastest growing community for physicians by far...the ability to connect around personal, clinical and certainly financial topics is incredibly valuable. But they are offering far more...

The Financial Resource Center, the Financial Crisis Speaker Series and the Vital Signs daily market digest are indications that this community is something special. Not only are we connecting with one another in increasing numbers, but we are getting unparalleled content that is growing by the week. Finally, we now have access to world-class financial experts.

As one of the Medical Directors for iMedExchange, I welcome your ideas, dialogue and questions.

We have some really interesting physicians as members of iMedExchange, and since those of you that aren't members don't get to hear from them, we'll continue to profile some of them in our blog. Today I'd like to introduce you to Deborah Benzil, MD. Dr. Benzil is a Neurosurgeon in Westchester.

How did you get into Neurosurgery? I stumbled into neurosurgery more than anything else. In medical school, my neurology rotation was "over-subscribed" so they asked for volunteers to do neurosurgery instead. I volunteered thinking it would just be three weeks and I would never get a chance to see neurosurgery again...well that was 25 years ago and I am still doing it every day!

What do you do with your time off? My time off is devoted to my family (I have a college freshman and a high school senior), reading, travel, cooking/wine and hiking. Every weekend my husband, dog and I take some lovely 3-10 mile hike in the Hudson Valley. In the summer, I also have an extensive vegetable and flower garden that requires a bit of time.

Which would you say is your favorite hobby? Favorite hobby...hum, hard to choose between music, reading, travel, wine...Probably travel because it allows for a whole lot of things and also means that I am on vacation! When we travel (always as a family until my daughter left for college) we look to enhance our cooking/wine stuff, and when we return, we keep the travel experience alive by recreating the food, etc.

Over a year ago, iMedExchange started a campaign to videotape physicians asking questions for the candidates about their healthcare policies. The videos from our 'Physician Questions' campaign were submitted to the YouTube/CNN Primary Debates and we received responses from both Governor Bill Richardson and Senator Barack Obama. If you're curious, these questions can be found on the YouTube iMedExchange Channel.

The election seemed so far away when we were putting together the questions, not even knowing yet who the final two candidates would be, but the questions were a great way to get the conversation started. Since then, our physician members have discussed the candidates in both the groups and forums on iMedExchange. Find our physician members discussing their opinions of the Republican Convention, our Alaska docs discussing Governor Palin, Senator Obama's responses to physician questions and more here.

But the day has come. Election day, I think to everyone's relief, has finally arrived. I hope that everyone will vote and make their voice heard in deciding who will be the 44th President of the United States of America. In the meantime, I suppose all we can do is wait (or discuss your thoughts on iMedExchange!).

Tobin wrote up some thoughts from his time at the Health2.0 conference. His post was featured on Next Things First. Check it out and let him know what you think.
Next Things First focuses on aspects of the health care system's "death by a thousand cuts," highlighting the innovators who are bringing solutions to the market and analyzing the challenges these entrepreneurs face in growing their businesses.

Reminder: All iMedExchange members are invited to listen to UBS's Head of Wealth Management Research and Policital Stategist talk about strategies for investing based on the election results. Members can email info@imedexchange.com to request the conference call information. If you're not a member yet, join now for access.
The call is today at 10am PST/1pm EST. A podcast of the call will be available on iMedExchange in a few days.

The next speaker in our Financial Crisis Speaker Series is George Sinnott, President of Sinnott Wealth Management. George Sinnott has dedicated his career to helping people achieve their financial goals. George is an independent financial advisor whose practice focuses on the unique wealth management needs of high net worth individuals, businesses, medical professionals and successful small business owners.

George has earned the professional designations of Chartered Life Underwriter, Chartered Financial Consultant and Accredited Estate Planner. In addition to passing comprehensive examinations, continuing education is a requirement of maintaining these designations.

As a strong believer in financial education, George developed and taught retirement planning seminars and courses at Pace University, Manhattanville College, Westchester Community College, Iona College and BOCES. He regularly conducts financial management workshops and seminars for Kraft Foods and Altria Corporation as well as other employers that want to provide their employees with practical and cost effective counseling.

In addition to holding a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting from Pace University, George attained a Master of Business Administration degree from Iona College. George is also an active member of the Estate Planning Council of Westchester and the Financial Planning Association.

We're so glad George is taking the time to talk to iMedExchange members! The call is Monday, November 10th at 6pm EST. Email us at info@imedexchange.com to participate in the call.

We have some really interesting physicians as members of iMedExchange, and since those of you that aren't members don't get to hear from them, we'll continue to profile some of them in our blog. Today I'd like to introduce you to Gary Levin, MD. Dr. Levin is an Ophthalmologist in Southern California.

How did you choose to specialize in ophthalmology? My first experience with eyes was a NSF research grant in which I had the opportunity to work with bovine eyes to analyze eye lens DNA and RNA. In medical school I became interested in eye surgery while working with an ophthalmologist on an elective during internship. I liked the lifestyle that ophthalmology provided, allowing me to balance family with work more than in other specialties.

How do you spend time off? Homeschooling and creative endeavors with my children. I spend some time mentoring younger physicians and I am also reestablishing social contact with my medical school and college alumni. I'm also interested in politics and as I have been a lifelong friend with Senator Joseph Lieberman I have campaigned for him in each Presidential and Vice Presidential campaign.

You list hiking as a hobby - what do you like most about it? Almost anywhere I am, I am able to hike. It's outdoors, excellent exercise and helps me to maintain my weight and stay in shape without the risk of injury from jogging. It's a routine I will be able to maintain indefinitely. It's a social activity as well, giving me time to think and talk with my exercise partner.

Yesterday, Google, Inc. unveiled the newest service from Google.org, the philanthropic side of Google. The new service? Flu Trends - a free Web service that uses aggregated information from searches that contain 'flu-like' keywords - 'cough', 'fever' and 'muscle aches', to name a few - to predict the outbreak of the flu. The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal both published articles today that provide a bit more information on the service.

As shown in the New York Times graph below (click the image to enlarge), Google Flu Trends showed great similarity to the reports by the US Centers for Disease Control - but often up to 10 days earlier. Using services such as Google Flu Trends (Yahoo has also reported accuracy in early flu detection) could help with earlier prevention and fewer cases of influenza, which causes an average of 36,000 deaths annually.

Flu Trends is a great example of the benefits of the interaction between the web and health care when the right data is used in the right way. While many doctors bemoan the fact that their patients come in full of information they gleaned from the web - some accurate, some not - perhaps this shows that by using the 'wisdom of the masses' (or at least the actions of the masses) we may be able to make more informed decisions with better forecasting. Expansions of this service could greatly benefit the public in numerous ways. There is particular potential for this service if applied to other illnesses - especially those with low rates of being reported to health professionals - such as STD's.

Want to discuss this more? Post a comment below or log in to discuss it in the forums on iMedExchange!

This past week-end Rob Coppedge and I had the privilege of visiting the Pawling Mountain Club about 90 minutes North of Manhattan. The club is partially owned and managed by Philip Bonanno, MD a renowned plastic surgeon and businessman from Westchester, NY.

This club is one of the truly unique clubs in the world....a warm and relaxing venue at which members can participate in live bird hunts or spend their time on the trap/skeet course...a very challenging and well laid out course that is apparently great training for competition.

Overlooking the Appalachian Mountains and set on over 1000 acres of semi-wooded and rolling land, the location is gorgeous. The Lodge is not pretentious or pristine - it's a comfortable hunting lodge with most anything you need. There is a sizeable full time staff including a top-notch chef and the folks that tend to the cadre of field dogs. The Lodge looks over an area that closely resembles a typical 18th hole at a golf course...indeed there are some similarities to how it's all laid out. There is a man-made lake right outside the Lodge deck area as you look off into the mountains. In the Summer, they hold a family event at which there is fantastic fireworks display over the lake.

Part of the success is tied to the fact that they encourage family participation. The club is now 25 years old and they are starting to get the second generation and beginnings of the third.

It was a real privilege to spend time with Dr. Bonanno and the other iMedExchange members in such a special place.

The next speaker in our Financial Crisis Speaker Series is David Miller, CEO of both Biotechnology Stock Research and Biotech Monthly. Mr. Miller is an expert on biotech investing, with a background as a company CEO, technical analyst, and market commentator. He provides a uniquely unabashed analysis of the sector and companies in his coverage universe. Mr. Miller has been quoted in nearly every major US newspaper, has appeared on financial television multiple times, and authored a chapter entitled "The Keys to Biotech Investing" in the popular Wiley Financial Press book Master Traders (2006, edited by Fari Hamzei).

Mr. Miller also writes for Minyanville.com, guest lectures to investment groups, and is a co-instructor for an annual 10-week Entrepreneur's Workshop at the University of Washington - Bothell.

We're excited that David is taking the time to talk to iMedExchange members! The call is Tuesday, November 18th at 6pm EST. Email us at info@imedexchange.com to participate in the call.

Last night, iMedExchange hosted the inaugural Seattle HealthTech Meetup. The event was sponsored by Faultline Ventures, with Rob Coppedge leading the discussion. It was a great event with 17 people from 14 different regional health care companies including Array Health Solutions, Clarity Health Services, Health Phone Solutions, Health Unity, Limeade, QTrait, Raffetto Herman and SnapForSeniors.

Rob Coppedge, Director for Corporate Development at iMedExchange and founder of Faultline Ventures, spoke on how Seattle can become a more vibrant and effective hub of healthcare technology. Highlighting the advantage of Seattle's entrepreneurial spirit and focus on innovation, he pointed out that Seattle is not as risk averse as some other cities currently thought of as healthcare hubs such as Nashville and Louisville. Rob did a great job getting the conversation started by speaking of his experience as a seasoned health care technology analyst and investor.

Following Rob's introduction, the group discussed Seattle's distinct attitude of "doing well by doing good' and left the evening event feeling energized and looking forward to more gatherings where active collaboration and brainstorming is the focus.

Thanks to Rob for doing such a great job, and thanks to all who attended!

The next speaker in our Financial Crisis Speaker Series is Steven Abernathy, founder, principal and chairman of The Abernathy Group. He has earned a reputation as a unique professional investor who applied the art of value investing to the Medical and Information Technology sectors of the market. Mr. Abernathy developed the Collaborative Investing® process, a nationwide network of Medical and Information Technology investors who pool their expertise in order to identify companies with superior products, technologies and management teams.

We're excited that Steven is taking the time to speak with iMedExchange members. He will be discussing 'Recession-Proof Investing: Two Trends to Buy Right Now!' The call is Tuesday, November 25th at 6pm EST. Email us at info@imedexchange.com to participate.

Walmart stampedes and leftover turkey...Black Friday, as it is becoming known, is a great day to avoid town and get back to the office as far as I am concerned.

It seems like I was just writing a blog entry on the many things in my life I have to be thankful for....but alas that was an entire year ago. In Internet years that is like a decade.

Certainly I am thankful for the extremely hard work logged by the entire iMedExchange team this past year. As always, I am thankful for my family...they put up with a lot given my long hours and constant travel. Certainly I am thankful for our growing cadre of wonderful partners and sponsors...from The Abernathy Group to Castle Connolly to Practice Match and so many others. I am also thankful for the hundreds of physicians all across the country who have contributed to the growth of iMedExchange this past year through their help as Advisors and investors.

This day has become one of my favorite days for reflecting back on the year and beginning to polish plans for the upcoming year. I am excited for some amazing things that are going to materialize this coming year...but they will have been built upon the efforts of this past year...and that doesn't go unnoticed by me.

I'm going to conclude this blog entry and get home to hang out with my family. Enjoy your long week-end if you are fortunate enough to have one; and for our physician readers, know that we are looking forward to continuing our efforts at making iMedExchange YOUR online community.