Navigating Healthcare as a Provider in 2026 with Dr. Ogo Ekwueme
In this episode of Not Your Lawyer, Mona Reza sits down with Ogo Ekwueme — MPH, PMP, and founder of Career Haven and Health LeadHER — to pull back the curtain on a $147 billion funding lane that most healthcare providers don't even know exists.
Ogo breaks down how clinicians, consultants, and even practitioners who've stepped away from clinical practice can access government and community impact funding to build sustainable, scalable income without seeing more patients.
TRANSCRIPT:
Mona Raza: Welcome to the Not Your Lawyer podcast. I'm so happy to have you with me today.
Dr. Ogo: Thanks. I am so excited to be here.
Mona Raza: Everyone, this is one of my very favorite people. Sometimes in life you meet someone and just know you're going to hit it off, and that's exactly what happened with us.
One of our first interactions was when Dr. Ogo graciously invited me to speak at a conference she hosted at National Harbor. I was blown away—not only by the quality of the content, but by the attendance.
If you've ever worked with physicians or healthcare providers, you know one of the biggest complaints is, "They're never in the room. They're never part of the conversation."
Well, every seat in that room was full. The sponsors represented every part of the healthcare industry—from the Comptroller's Office to major insurance companies, HBCUs, and healthcare organizations. Everyone was there.
Ogo, could you tell our audience a little about Career Haven, what you did with that program, and what led you into this work? I know you've made a bit of a pivot recently, but I'd love for everyone to hear your story.
Dr. Ogo: Great question.
To really answer that, I have to go back a little.
For those who don't know me, I'm Dr. Ogo, Director of Career Haven. Career Haven is an innovation engine. We partner with clinicians, health coaches, consultants, and community-impact organizations to connect them with funders who want to invest in community health initiatives.
The funders already see clinicians as the experts. They want to put money behind them. The problem is that clinicians usually aren't in the room when those conversations are happening.
My job is to get them into those rooms because there are organizations ready to invest.
Healthcare has been part of my life for as long as I can remember.
I'm Nigerian, so growing up I really only had two career options.
Either you were going to become a doctor.....or you were going to become a nurse. Those were the choices.
For a long time I was on the path to medical school. Like many people, I followed that path because I thought it was simply what I was supposed to do. But during the transition from undergraduate studies into graduate school, I reached a crossroads.
I had to ask myself:
"Am I really making the impact I want to make?" Or..."Am I just following expectations?"
I decided to begin graduate school and give myself permission to see where that passion led. I told myself that if medicine continued pulling at my heart, I'd go on to medical school.
It didn't. What I discovered instead was that I loved healthcare.....but not necessarily clinical medicine.
I found myself drawn toward systems engineering, medical knowledge, technology, and the larger systems that shape healthcare. That eventually led me into government contracting—partnering with government organizations to improve healthcare services. Most people think healthcare only exists inside a clinic.
They think: "I need to open a practice." "I need to bill insurance." "I need prior authorizations.""I need reimbursement."
That's only one lane. There's another lane entirely...The community impact space.
In that space, you're paid for improving health at the community level, not simply at the individual patient level.
When we study public health, we learn that an individual's health isn't determined only by personal choices.
It's also shaped by where they live. Their environment. Access to healthy food. Clean air. Safe neighborhoods. Transportation.
Education. All of those structural factors influence health outcomes. My background is in public health, so I've always been trained to think at the systems level. Now imagine taking the education you normally provide to one patient during a fifteen-minute office visit.....and instead teaching one hundred people at once. Rather than seeing patient after patient all day long, a government agency or healthcare funder might say:
"We'll give you $50,000 to educate this community." Maybe that means hosting one workshop each month. You provide the same education....but now it's one-to-many instead of one-to-one. That funding can cover your salary. It can cover overhead.
Travel expenses. Facility costs. Educational materials. You've essentially condensed an entire month's worth of patient education into a two-hour workshop while generating comparable revenue. I would actually argue that you're creating more impact. People have time to listen. They have time to ask questions. They have time to truly understand. That's very difficult to accomplish during a rushed office visit.
Mona Raza: You're absolutely right. There are certainly conversations that belong in a private exam room.
Not everyone wants to discuss personal health issues in front of others. But so much of what physicians teach every single day could easily be delivered in a group setting. Insurance may not reimburse that educational time...
...but there are other divisions—particularly community-impact divisions—that absolutely will. Let me give everyone an example. I'm very good friends with several executives at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield.
Most physicians only interact with the provider relations side of an insurance company. Those departments reimburse claims.
But if you walked over to the community impact division instead and said,
"I'd like to educate one hundred people about a health issue that's important to your organization..."
...they might very well say yes.
A clinician can explain: “I'm willing to host workshops once a month if you'll invest $100,000 into this initiative."
That funding isn't tied to CPT codes.It's not based on how many patients were seen.It's not attached to billing.
It's simply funding community health improvement. And those opportunities exist.
Dr. Ogo: Exactly.
Insurance companies have provider relations departments that reimburse medical care.
But they also have community impact divisions whose mission is to improve the overall health of the populations they serve.
Imagine walking into that office and saying: "I'd like to educate one hundred people about diabetes."
Or... "I'd like to educate one hundred people about hypertension."
Or..."I'd like to educate one hundred people about colorectal cancer prevention."
Then you explain: "I'm going to host these workshops once a month. I'm a clinician. I'm an expert in this field. If you'll invest $100,000 into this program, I'll deliver measurable community outcomes." That funding isn't connected to the number of patients you see. It isn't connected to billing codes. It isn't tied to insurance reimbursement. It's funding community impact.
They will absolutely consider writing those checks. This is especially important for physicians here in Maryland and the Washington metropolitan area.
Mona Raza: It really is. My husband is a gastroenterologist, and one of the realities physicians face in this region is that reimbursement rates are often lower than they are in other parts of the country—even though our cost of living is significantly higher. Employment laws are designed to protect employees, which is important, but they also create enormous financial pressure on small practices. Eventually all of that pressure reaches the patient. Doctors have to see twenty or more patients every day just to keep the lights on. That leaves almost no time to think creatively. No time to develop ancillary services. No time to build partnerships. No time to pursue opportunities like what you're describing. That's actually how you and I met. We were trying to figure out how a solo practice survives. When you look strictly at insurance reimbursement, you quickly realize it isn't enough. Then physicians begin considering other options. Maybe they join a hospital system. Maybe they accept venture capital funding.Maybe they add aesthetics. Maybe they run clinical trials. Maybe they build ancillary businesses.
Those additional revenue streams allow physicians to continue serving their communities without constantly worrying about which insurance plans they have to stop accepting. The biggest hurdle is convincing physicians to pause long enough to invest a little time into building something that ultimately gives them much more freedom. So if someone decides to work with Career Haven...What does that actually require from them?
How much time are they investing?
Dr. Ogo: Honestly...
Very little. We've completely shifted to a done-for-you model.
We recognized that physicians simply don't have time. Healthcare is changing rapidly.
Practices are trying to figure out reimbursement changes, staffing issues, political uncertainty, and everything else happening right now. So we asked ourselves:
"How do we get clinicians into these funding conversations with as little resistance as possible?" That's how we created what we call our 90-Day Funding Package.
We take the services you're already providing in your practice....and we transform them into a community-impact program that's attractive to funders. We've taught this process before. We've coached people through it. The problem wasn't ability. The problem was time. Everyone is busy. They're constantly spinning the wheel. They know this is valuable....they simply don't have the capacity to build it themselves.
So instead of teaching physicians how to build these programs....we build them.
Every day we're meeting with funders. We're meeting with senators. Council members. Government agencies. Healthcare organizations. We already know what those organizations are looking for.
We combine that knowledge with your clinical expertise. Then we identify exactly who you should be talking to. We show you where the funding opportunities exist. We help position your practice to pursue them. The only real investment we ask from our clients is this: Who inside your organization is going to build relationships with funders?
Most practices already have someone answering phones... Managing referrals... Handling administrative work...
Why not allow that person to become a revenue-generating member of your team? We provide scripts. We provide strategy. We provide outreach materials. That individual begins opening doors. Those conversations lead to funding. Those funding relationships lead to six-figure opportunities. And none of it depends on you working longer hours.
Mona Raza: That's exactly where our conversations usually begin. Because from the legal side... There are two major issues physicians have to think about.
Stark Law.....and the Anti-Kickback Statute.
Stark applies specifically to physicians. Anti-kickback applies much more broadly whenever federal healthcare dollars are involved. Those laws exist for good reasons. But they also intimidate physicians. Many doctors are so focused on practicing medicine that they're afraid of stepping into unfamiliar business territory. That's why structure matters. One piece of advice I almost always give is this: Create a separate LLC for the consulting and educational side of your business.
Don't mix everything into your medical practice. Keep those activities separate. That educational company can contract with your practice. It can hire staff. It can compensate employees appropriately. Whatever structure is right for your business...Just keep it clean. Healthcare is one of the most highly regulated industries in the country. Those regulations were created to protect patients....but they often make physicians hesitant to pursue legitimate opportunities.
When structured properly, however, this becomes a completely separate business model. Another comparison I often make involves physicians on Instagram or TikTok. Some doctors say, "I'm not interested in becoming a social media doctor."Especially physicians from older generations. But what those physicians are doing is educating people. They're serving communities. They're speaking to large audiences. What you're describing is really the middle ground. You don't have to become an influencer. You can become a community educator. You can become a speaker. You can receive funding for providing evidence-based education. Considering the amount physicians are reimbursed for many services today... It can honestly feel insulting. After all the years of education...The liability...The sleepless nights...The sacrifices...To receive minimal reimbursement for highly skilled work is discouraging.If physicians can instead spend time helping people understand the causes of disease...Helping prevent illness...
And have organizations like CareFirst support that work financially...That's a tremendous win for everyone.
Dr. Ogo: It really is.
In fact, I think our organizations should explore creating a combined package for physicians and healthcare providers—one that includes both the legal guidance on how to structure these programs correctly and the support needed to actually secure the funding.
Those two things really go hand in hand.
You want to be intentional about how everything is set up from the very beginning.
Even when you look at physicians who have become social media influencers, you'll notice many of them now include disclaimers in their profiles saying things like, "This is not medical advice. Please consult your primary care provider."
They're operating in a regulated environment too.
It's not an unregulated space.
But if you understand the rules and build things correctly, it can become an incredible opportunity.
I also remind people that many of the healthcare organizations they admire—places like the Mayo Clinic—bring in billions of dollars that have nothing to do with direct patient care.
That funding isn't tied to insurance reimbursement.
It isn't individual charitable donations.
Those are community-impact dollars.
They've demonstrated that they're improving health outcomes on a community level, and organizations are willing to invest in that work.
To me, that's proof.
We don't have to reinvent the wheel.
If it's working for major healthcare systems, then we should learn from that model.
It creates sustainability.
It separates your impact from one-on-one patient encounters and gives you something much larger to build upon.
Yesterday I was meeting with county officials discussing community health needs.
I told them, "If large hospital systems don't have the capacity to provide community programming, why not partner with smaller physician practices?"
Those practices could become the execution arm.
One hundred thousand dollars goes much farther in a small independent practice than it does in a massive hospital system.
Now everyone benefits.
The hospital expands its community reach.
The physician receives funding.
Most importantly, the community is served.
Mona Raza: I really can't emphasize enough how important the structure is.
It's not just about obtaining funding.
It's about understanding how that funding flows through your businesses and how those businesses are organized.
That's why I think Career Haven and our law firm fit together so naturally.
There's a misconception that physicians have unlimited disposable income.
Yes, physicians often earn good incomes.
But this isn't the 1980s anymore.
They carry tremendous liability.
They carry tremendous financial risk.
They earn enough to appear successful, but they're often hesitant to invest in protecting themselves or growing their businesses.
Entrepreneurs understand something important.
The fastest way to reach your goals is by hiring experts to handle the parts you don't know.
That's why we've built subscription legal services.
I'd love to create something specifically for healthcare professionals operating in this model. If it's repeatable, we can make it affordable.
We're familiar with these agreements. We know what clauses belong. We know what should be removed.
Honestly, you'd be shocked by some of the contracts physicians have been asked to sign.
Many organizations assume doctors won't pay to have an attorney review them.
Sometimes the lawyer on the other side understands healthcare law.
Sometimes they don't.
Sometimes they understand healthcare law but not tax law. Sometimes they understand tax law but not healthcare regulations.
It's that intersection that becomes so important.
Those words matter.
Every sentence matters.
One of our biggest responsibilities is helping physicians understand exactly what they're agreeing to before they sign anything.
Dr. Ogo: Absolutely.
It also goes back to recognizing that medicine isn't what many of us imagined it would be.
Especially for younger physicians.
I work with clinicians at every stage of their careers.
What I'm hearing over and over again is that they're looking for balance.
They're looking for a better lifestyle.
They're looking for ways to fulfill their calling without burning themselves out.
I tell them:
Start building your practice differently.
Look at how successful organizations are structured.
Ask yourself:
"Are they running themselves into the ground?"
Or...
"Have they intentionally built systems that create sustainability?"
Everything inside those organizations is compartmentalized.
Different services flow through different divisions.
Different revenue streams support different functions.
It's all been designed intentionally.
Independent clinicians deserve that same level of sustainability.
Mona Raza: One thing I tell my healthcare clients all the time is... It isn't you. It's the system.
Hospitals are often reimbursed several times more than independent physicians for performing the exact same procedure. That's simply how the reimbursement system works. As we've expanded into other states, we've realized just how different things can be. Some states don't even have Certificate of Need requirements. In those places, physicians can open ambulatory surgery centers without hospitals fighting to prevent competition. Patients should care about this because it affects them directly. I've experienced it personally. I've had procedures performed in an ambulatory surgery center....and I've had them performed in a hospital.
The care wasn't better in the hospital. The room wasn't nicer. But the bill was dramatically higher simply because of the location.
For patients who qualify, ambulatory surgery centers are usually less expensive. But for physicians? They're often paid only a fraction of what hospitals receive for performing that exact same procedure. Many independent physicians believe they're doing something wrong.
They work until nine o'clock every night and wonder why they can't compete with the hospital down the street.
The truth is... It's the structure.
Dr. Ogo: Exactly.
I've been very candid in recent meetings.
Independent physicians want to do more.
They're passionate about helping their communities.
It's not a lack of desire.
It's not a lack of commitment.
It's the structure they're operating within.
When they step into these spaces, they're not just competing against other physicians.
They're competing against major hospital systems.
And on paper...
Those hospital systems will almost always appear stronger.
That's why we have to rethink the system.
Policy changes are important, and my policy team continues working on those issues.
But policy doesn't change overnight. In the meantime, we should maximize the opportunities that already exist.
That's exactly why this funding model is so valuable. There are billions of dollars available every year for community-based healthcare programming. That funding isn't tied to CPT codes. It isn't dependent on reimbursement.
You're not replacing your current revenue. You're creating a second revenue stream. For many physicians, that means fewer one-on-one appointments.
More flexibility. More breathing room.
Maybe you finally take a vacation.
Maybe you hire another provider.
Maybe your practice becomes sustainable in a way it never could through insurance reimbursement alone.That's what we're trying to help clinicians build. Dr. Ogo: And that's really the shift we're trying to create.
We're helping physicians understand that they don't have to choose between serving their communities and building sustainable practices. They can do both.
When you begin thinking in terms of community impact instead of only individual patient encounters, everything changes.
You're no longer asking, "How many patients can I fit into my schedule today?"
You're asking, "How many lives can I impact this month?"
That's a completely different mindset.
Mona Raza: I think this younger generation—and honestly, good for them—is different.
Across every profession, they aren't willing to accept the lifestyle previous generations accepted.
They don't want to spend eighty hours a week working in a small practice.
They'd rather join a large hospital system, receive venture capital backing, or move to a larger city.
And that's okay.
But our communities still need physicians.
If we want to attract talented providers to independent practice, we have to offer something different.
We can't simply tell them they'll have to sacrifice everything.
Nobody looks at that lifestyle anymore and says, "That's exactly what I want."
If we can give them opportunities to teach, educate, and lead community programs, that's incredibly attractive.
Let's use gastroenterology as an example.
One of the things I always noticed was that the exam room walls are thin.
You hear the same advice over and over:
"Cut back on dairy."
"Eat more fiber."
"Drink more water."
Simple lifestyle changes that could dramatically improve someone's health.
I always thought...
Wouldn't it be wonderful if a physician partnered with a nutritionist and hosted community sessions—not just about weight loss, but about living well?
How do you eat healthier on a realistic budget?
Most people can't afford a private chef.
Most families don't shop exclusively at Whole Foods.
How do we make healthy living practical?
Could something like that become a funded community program?
Dr. Ogo: Oh...
How much time do we have?
(laughs)
Because that's exactly what we do.
The first concept we teach is what we call Captive Audience Theory.
We start with one question:
What already matters to this community?
That's one of the biggest differences between clinicians and funders.
Funders spend most of their time in offices reviewing paperwork.
Clinicians spend their time inside communities.
You're hearing people's questions.
You're seeing their struggles.
You understand what they're dealing with every day.
That knowledge is incredibly valuable.
Let's stay with your gastroenterology example.
Right now, colorectal cancer is a major concern.
We're seeing increasing numbers of younger adults being diagnosed.
We know lifestyle plays a significant role.
Now ask yourself...
Can you realistically bring every person in your community into your office for a fifteen-minute conversation about colorectal cancer prevention?
Of course not.
It's impossible.
Instead...
Imagine building an educational program around that issue.
Suppose your target audience is middle-aged women.
What motivates them? What captures their attention? The first thing that comes to my mind? Fashion. Body image. Feeling confident again. This is often the stage of life when metabolism slows down. People notice that their clothes fit differently. They're thinking about losing weight. They're thinking about feeling healthier. So instead of advertising a workshop called:
"Reducing Colorectal Cancer Risk." You invite them to something like:
"Feel Your Best After 40." Or: "Redefining Your Body Image."
Now you've captured their attention. The language isn't clinical anymore. That's something we spend a lot of time helping clinicians understand. Clinical language works perfectly for medical documentation. Community education requires a completely different vocabulary. You have to speak the language your audience responds to. Imagine filling a room with women who came because they wanted to feel healthier and more confident. Then, while they're there, you begin connecting those goals to digestive health. You explain how nutrition affects weight. You explain how bowel health influences overall wellness. You talk about constipation. You discuss how dietary habits affect colorectal cancer risk. You're taking what your audience wants to hear...and connecting it to what they genuinely need to know. Then we present that entire program to the funder. We explain how we'll recruit participants. Who will teach. How the workshops will be delivered.
Most importantly...How success will be measured. We use surveys. We measure understanding before and after each session.
We ask participants:
"What did you learn today that you didn't know before?" "Would you attend another workshop?" "What changes do you plan to make?" Those become our measures of success.
Not CPT codes. Not reimbursement claims. We're measuring education. We're measuring understanding. We're measuring community impact. It's really a much simpler—and, I would argue, more meaningful—way to think about improving health.
Dr. Ogo: Exactly. When people have the time and space to really hear the information, it changes the conversation.Instead of rushing through a fifteen-minute appointment, they're able to understand why these things matter. They're empowered to advocate for themselves.
Mona Raza: That's exactly right. I recently spoke on a panel about midlife wealth at a midlife health conference. I listened to practitioner after practitioner discussing hormone replacement therapy, nutrition, preventative care, and everything women experience during midlife. At the time, I wasn't feeling well myself, but I was doing what so many of us do—I just kept pushing through. Listening to those conversations gave me the confidence to go back to my own physician and say,
"I know I'm getting older, but I don't have to simply accept feeling like this. I want solutions."
That's one of the greatest benefits of community education.
People become informed enough to advocate for themselves. Beyond the funding...Beyond the business opportunity...It's an incredible service to the community.
Dr. Ogo: I completely agree.
Mona Raza: So...
How does someone work with Career Haven?
What's the first step?
Dr. Ogo: The easiest way is simply to email us at support@careerhaven.com. We'll schedule time to talk about your current practice, what you're already doing, and where you want to go. We also host live webinars approximately every two weeks. People can register through careerhaven.com.
Those webinars allow us to answer questions, explain how the funding process works, and help clinicians determine whether this model is a good fit for them. Of course, they can always reach out directly by email, and we'll discuss their individual situation and what options make the most sense.
Mona Raza: Wonderful. We'll include all of that information in the show notes. I truly encourage anyone who's listening—if this sounds like something that could help your practice or your organization—to reach out. Ogo is the real deal. I've worked with her for quite a while now, and she's one of those rare people who simply gets things done. I'm incredibly excited about this next chapter for Career Haven. I think it's been building toward this for a long time. It's exactly what our region needs, but honestly, I think it's something communities across the country need.
Dr. Ogo: I agree. And you and I definitely need to sit down and continue talking about creating that combined package.
Mona Raza: Absolutely. It feels like the natural next step.
Dr. Ogo: I think so too.
Mona Raza: Thank you so much for joining me today. I can't wait to see what's next for Career Haven.
