23. How to Build a Fully Booked Clinic in Two Years with Dr. Matthea Rentea

“The level that I want to help people will never work in this system.”

It’s a sentence many physicians feel deep down but rarely say out loud. 

You can love your patients, believe in your work, and still recognize that the system you’re working in isn’t built to support the kind of care you want to give… or the life you want to live.

That realization was a turning point for one of my long standing clients, Dr. Matthea Rentea. 

At the time, she was responsible for 3,500 patients at a corporate medicine job, running at full capacity with no room to practice medicine the way she knew it should be practiced. 

Something had to change. 

Matthea tried to make the system work. She improved processes, created patient resources, and had conversations with leadership.

None of it solved the core issue: time and volume.

Eventually, she realised the system wasn’t broken… it was working exactly as designed. And that design wasn’t compatible with long-term, relationship-based care.

That clarity didn’t lead to an impulsive exit. It led to planning.

Building a clinic around real patient needs

One of the most important decisions Matthea made was to design her clinic around what patients actually need, rather than around what is typical or expected in private practice.

She asked herself what kind of care she would want if she were the patient. That question shaped everything from visit frequency to pricing.

Instead of episodic appointments, she built a telehealth clinic focused on long-term care. Instead of maximising patient volume, she prioritised depth, continuity, and outcomes.

This led to decisions that many people initially questioned, including:

• A membership-based model rather than one-off visits
  
  
• Regular, ongoing touchpoints instead of infrequent follow-ups
  
  
• Fewer patients, seen more intentionally

Her experience showed that when the model aligns with real patient needs, commitment follows.

Letting data replace assumptions

Like many physicians, Matthea initially relied heavily on intuition when making business decisions. Over time, she learned to pair intuition with data.

She began tracking how much time patients actually required, how different services affected her capacity, and what patients consistently responded to. She also collected structured feedback rather than assuming she knew what patients wanted.

This shift helped her:

• Stop changing things that were not broken
  
  
• Make confident decisions when something needed to evolve
  
  
• See her business more clearly than she ever had in an employed role

The result was less second-guessing and more strategic clarity.

Knowing when it is time to let go of side work

One of the hardest decisions Matthea faced was knowing when to step away from side work that provided stable income.

At one point, roughly half of her income still came from work outside her clinic. Nothing was going wrong, but time had become the limiting factor. She was at capacity, and the clinic could not grow further without her full attention.

By mapping her time and revenue, she could see that continuing to split her focus was slowing progress. When she finally made the decision to let go of the side work, her clinic replaced that income within two months.

The decision felt emotionally risky, but it was well supported by the numbers.

Marketing that feels human, not sales-driven

Matthea’s clinic did not fill because of a clever launch strategy. It filled because she spent a year educating and serving before she ever opened the doors.

Long before she had a clinic to promote, she was creating content that explained complex topics clearly, addressed shame, and reflected how patients actually experience care.

Her approach to marketing was simple:

• Serve first, without expecting anything in return
  
  
• Show up consistently rather than sporadically
  
  
• Focus on patient understanding, not self-promotion

By the time her clinic opened, trust already existed. Patients did not need convincing because they already understood her approach and values.

Why long-term relationships change outcomes

Over time, Matthea noticed a clear pattern. Patients who engaged consistently achieved better outcomes and felt more supported. Those who came sporadically struggled and often felt frustrated.

This led her to move fully to a membership model. Not to increase revenue, but to protect the integrity of the care.

Long-term change requires ongoing support, especially in complex conditions. Membership allowed her to guide patients through multiple stages of change rather than offering fragmented, short-term interventions.

For both physician and patient, the experience became more sustainable.

Advice for physicians considering their own clinic

Matthea’s advice to physicians who feel drawn to independent practice is direct.

Start sooner than you think, but do not start by quitting.

That means:

• Building visibility before you need patients
  
  
• Creating financial safety before leaving employment
  
  
• Getting support before decisions are driven by panic

Waiting until after resignation often leads to rushed choices and unnecessary stress. Planning early creates room for intentional design.

What Matthea is building now

In addition to her telehealth clinic, Matthea now offers group programs for patients focused on metabolic health, education, and community support.

She also runs a Social Media Accelerator for clinicians who want to build ethical visibility and connect with patients in a way that feels aligned rather than performative.

Like her clinic, these programmes grew organically from unmet needs she observed in both patients and colleagues.

Matthea’s story is not about leaving medicine. It is about reclaiming it.

Her journey shows what is possible when physicians stop trying to force themselves into systems that do not fit, and instead build models that support both patient care and their own wellbeing.

If you are standing at that crossroads, the most important step is not a leap. It is a plan.

Ready to leave corporate medicine?

The 90-Day Clinic Launch Blueprint shows you exactly how to set up your independent practice in just 90 days with a no-panic, step-by-step approach that covers legal setup, systems, patient acquisition, and launch. 

You'll get video lessons, templates, an action workbook, and monthly Q&A calls with me. It's designed to work alongside your full-time job, so you can build your foundation before you make the leap.

Learn more about the Blueprint here!

If you'd prefer one-on-one attention, reach out and schedule a meet and greet at www.amandasabicer.com. I'd be happy to show you how I work with clients and help you decide if I'd be a good fit to help you build the business of your dreams.