Triune Integrative Medicine has been featured in the new book The Entrepreneurial Ascent: The Founders, Challenges, and Decisions That Built Remarkable Companies. The book examines the experiences of entrepreneurs and professionals who have taken different approaches to building and developing their organizations, including the story of Dr. Robin H. Miller and her work in integrative medicine.
Miller’s chapter focuses on the decisions that led her to develop a medical practice structured around longer patient consultations, direct payment, and an integrative approach to care. Her account also considers the professional and practical challenges involved in moving away from more conventional healthcare models.
The story traces back to 2000, when Miller was seeing patients in appointments that lasted approximately 10 minutes. She found that the limited appointment time did not align with the type of physician-patient relationship she wanted to establish. She subsequently pursued an integrative medicine fellowship in Arizona and later helped establish an integrative medicine clinic through a hospital partnership.
As her approach developed, Miller introduced longer consultations. New-patient appointments could last approximately 90 minutes, while follow-up visits and physicals could take up to an hour. She eventually moved to a fee-for-service model, opted out of Medicare, and stopped billing insurance.
Her chapter addresses the broader question of how professionals define success when building a business or practice. Miller writes about the importance of finding work that aligns with personal values and professional purpose, while recognizing that financial considerations remain part of running a sustainable organization.
“If you want to be successful, follow your heart and your passion,” Miller explains. She describes purpose as an important consideration in defining professional success, alongside conventional measures such as financial performance or public recognition.
Miller’s career has also extended beyond clinical practice. She has written books, participated in television and health-education projects, and developed the A Healthy Journey with Dick and Jane series. These projects have focused on presenting health information in a way intended to be understandable and practical for general audiences.
The inclusion of Triune Integrative Medicine in The Entrepreneurial Ascent places Miller’s experience alongside those of other founders and professionals profiled in the book. Her chapter provides a healthcare perspective on the decisions involved in developing a business around a particular professional philosophy.
The book also gives Miller an opportunity to reflect on the personal motivations behind her career decisions. “You have to find out what drives you and just keep going,” she says. “For me, success wasn’t in the money or the notoriety. It was always in how many people I could help through health and wellness; that’s what gets me out of bed every morning.”
The Entrepreneurial Ascent: The Founders, Challenges, and Decisions That Built Remarkable Companies is now available to readers interested in entrepreneurship, business development, and the experiences behind the organizations featured in the book.