This interview is with Tonie Reincke, Medical Director at Reincke Vein Center.

Tonie Reincke, Medical Director, Reincke Vein Center

As a medical doctor, entrepreneur, and small business owner, can you tell us about your journey and what inspired you to open your own practice?

The story behind my company's creation isn't glamorous. It's rooted in trauma, grit, and an unwavering desire to escape a life I was born into but refused to let define me.

I come from a family that struggled with homelessness. My mother was a prostitute who never graduated from high school. My father was a physically abusive alcoholic. Neither of them went to college. When I was 11, my mother sent me to live with my father as she was having an affair and had no desire to be a mother. My father had remarried, and his wife's sons began physically abusing me when I was 12. I lived in the attic—no heat, no air conditioning. Just a raw space that matched my harsh surroundings.

My goals in life were never born out of privilege or any specific career aspiration. They came from a deep, primal place of survival and a desperate desire to break generational cycles. I took baby steps—first becoming an RN, then PA-C, then eventually an MD. The path was never smooth. I faced repeated failures in medical school and residency. I recognized a desire to have real connections with patients, and I also wanted a medical specialty that was procedurally based. I chose Interventional Radiology as it fit my personal and professional aspirations.

In 2021, I launched my solo leg vein practice. I hired seasoned staff and cross-trained them. Over the past 4+ years, I have immersed myself in my practice. I have a marketing team and PR professional who continue to help me grow professionally. My journey is far from conventional, but it's proof that resilience, vision, and purpose can build something empowering from even the darkest beginnings.

How has your experience as a physician influenced your approach to entrepreneurship and running a small business in the healthcare sector?

Certainly, I trained at a time when there was no "work-life balance." The model of leadership was more to fall in line and respect the hierarchy. I despised this model and swore I would not be that type of a leader. I have held true to my word. My leadership style leans into trusting my team and allowing them freedom in decision-making without micromanaging them. By trusting that they will execute delegated tasks and daily responsibilities, I am able to focus on higher-level physician and business decisions. I am very "hands-on" with all aspects of patient care and decisions regarding the practice.

You've mentioned the importance of delegation in your role as a medical director. Can you share a specific instance where effective delegation led to a significant improvement in your practice?

Specifically, social media content creation and blog creation. I initially had attempted to do all of this myself. I was overwhelmed with starting the practice and creating content. As soon as I hired the marketing firm to manage these tasks, a huge burden was lifted off me and allowed me to focus on what I love doing: patient care. Basically, this delegation allowed me to drive in my own lane.

As a woman in the medical field and business world, what unique challenges have you faced, and how have you overcome them?

Unique challenges as a woman in the medical field have been numerous. I have experienced innumerable sexist remarks, outright sexual harassment, and verbal abuse throughout my training that continued into my first job out of fellowship. The times were very different when I trained and no one discussed sexual harassment or its deleterious effects on mental health and physical well-being. I suffered, silently. This was a significant driving force for me to break the toxic cycles and also practice solo—no toxicity and a safe space for me and my patients.

How do you balance the demands of being a medical professional, business owner, and parent? Can you share a personal strategy that helps you maintain this balance?

What I try to do to keep balance in my life is compartmentalize—what I mean is work stays at work, and I have dedicated quality time with my sons where I am focused on them and off electronics. I schedule weekly dates with my sons and carve out that time as protected. I use calendars to keep all of our schedules organized and initiate communication to make sure we all stay connected and informed of any changes.

You've emphasized the importance of networking and building relationships in your field. Can you describe a situation where a connection you made unexpectedly benefited your practice or personal growth?

I initiated going to meet a new physician who moved into my office building. After meeting her, we exchanged cell numbers. She mentioned a female-entrepreneur group in our city that she belongs to. I ended up joining the group and have made a plethora of connections, gotten patient referrals, and have sponsored high school students to shadow my practice as a result. Definitely a testament to how putting forth a small amount of effort paid me back exponentially.

In your experience, what's one common misconception about running a small medical practice that you'd like to address for aspiring physician-entrepreneurs?

A common misconception would be that you need to have it all figured out prior to starting. I think you absolutely need to research all facets of opening a medical practice prior to opening. Leaning on experts to facilitate in areas you know nothing about is key to keeping it running smoothly. Take the calculated risk.

You've mentioned participating in health screening events and community outreach. How has this engagement impacted your practice, and what advice would you give to other healthcare professionals looking to connect with their local community?

Community outreach and health screening events are a focus for me. Being able to provide education for people who don't even know that leg vein disease exists is empowering. I participate because I genuinely care about helping patients and providing them with potential treatment options. Every physician needs to figure out the "why" regarding the goal of these events. From there, start speaking to patients, family, local chambers of commerce, and social media for ideas of how to connect meaningfully. As a minority, I knew I wanted to volunteer and educate minorities and then very intentionally chose events where that demographic would be represented.

Looking ahead, what do you see as the biggest opportunity or challenge for small, independent medical practices, and how are you preparing to address it?

One of the biggest challenges I see for small, independent medical practices is the corporatization of medicine. Large companies and private equity firms buying up small practices is a very real concern. I knew I needed a unique way of practicing medicine and providing care in order to succeed. I have been able to do this by personalizing the care I provide—I evaluate and treat every patient myself (no other practitioners), I provide extended hours and Saturday appointments as needed, and all patients have my personal cell number. Very recently, I initiated working with a PR professional to make sure that potential patients understand the approach I take in managing patient care and my practice and how it differs from other vein centers.