Starting an OBL From Scratch

An Interview With Michelle Maneevese, MD

© 2024 HMP Global. All Rights Reserved.

Any views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and/or participants and do not necessarily reflect the views, policy, or position of Vascular Disease Management or HMP Global, their employees, and affiliates.

VASCULAR DISEASE MANAGEMENT 2024;21(3):E19-E20

As part of an Early Career Session at ISET 2024, Michelle Maneevese, MD, presented “Starting an OBL from Scratch,” an overview of how she opened her office-based lab (OBL), and gave advice for those thinking of starting their own OBL. Vascular Disease Management spoke with Dr. Maneevese, a fellowship trained vascular and interventional radiologist and founder of Access Vascular Health, about her presentation. 

Dr. Maneevese, tell us a little about yourself and Access Vascular Health, your OBL in Houston, Texas. 

I started Access Vascular Health when I was 2 years out of practice. As a fairly new grad, it was a big step to go out on my own; it took a lot of bravery and belief in myself. I think that's the biggest thing—believing in yourself and believing in your ability, in your capabilities. I am the only practitioner, and most of our services are for men’s health (urinary symptoms related to an enlarged prostate), but we also provide services for women’s health, such as fibroids, and we have a special interest in peripheral arterial disease and varicose veins. 

Why did you decide to start an OBL? 

I think I had a different mindset when it came to medicine in general. I wanted to be more independent and spend more time with my patients, and I didn't really find a place where I fit in. So I decided to create my own place. 

What are the first steps that you would you advise clinicians to take when thinking of starting an OBL? 

Solidify your mission and come up with a business plan that aligns with your mission. Secure financing if needed, look into office spaces to lease or purchase, and then work on credentialing. Don’t be afraid to lean into outside resources for help. An experienced lawyer can help you get your business documents set up, a commercial real estate agent can help you locate office spaces, etc.

Once you have those things in place, what is the most important thing that a clinician should remember when starting an OBL? 

Oh gosh—that’s it a marathon. It might be a long time before you see the fruits of your labor. You’ll have to believe in yourself and keep pushing forward. Be reasonable with your expectations but be confident in your abilities and your mission. 

What would you recommend when marketing your OBL? During your ISET presentation you showed an impressive promotional video that you had done of you, your team, and the OBL. How did that come about? 

You don’t need an outrageous marketing budget. Networking and social media are great places to start. The promotional video I showed during my ISET presentation came about through casual conversation with a parent at a child’s birthday party. The parent happened to be an incredibly talented videographer that was just starting out his production company. I’m giving a presentation on marketing your OBL at this year’s SIR conference in March, so I don’t want to give away too much here!

What would you say is the biggest lesson you've learned from starting your own OBL? 

That things happen in their own time, and there’s nothing you can do to rush anything along. All the worrying won’t speed up results or change circumstances. If you realize that there are some things you can’t control, starting an OBL will be less stressful and you can focus on your achievements. n

For more information about Dr. Maneevese and Access Vascular Health, visit https://accessvascularhealth.com.