Business
A New Jersey ob-gyn hopes cart is ticket to riches
■ Ron Bochner, MD, thinks that his new bed-table will let doctors examine hospitalized patients more easily.
By Tyler Chin — Posted July 19, 2004
Making sidelines pay
Doctors who branched out beyond running their practice tell why they did it, how they did it, and what you should know before you do it.
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Name: Ron Bochner, MD
Specialty: Obstetrics and gynecology
Location: East Brunswick, N.J.
Business: RetroFit LLC. Dr. Bochner has invented GynoCart -- a cart that transforms a hospital bed into a gynecological exam table, making it easier and faster for ob-gyns to examine hospitalized patients at the bedside. The cart, which sells for $6,500, includes a stool, light source and accessory shelf/drawers to store ob-gyn tools.
Annual revenue: The company began operating in March.
Why he started the business: When examinations are done in the hospital, clinicians have to put a bedpan under the woman's buttocks so she's off the bed a little. "Your face is literally on the patient's bed right as you're doing this examination. It's not at all sanitary," he said. "I realized there had to be a more comfortable and dignified way to do gyn exams on hospitalized patients."
Why he keeps practicing: "I like what I do."
Words of wisdom: "Physicians are creative individuals, and they can identify problems that keep occurring every day. If a problem keeps occurring over and over again ... chances are everyone else is having the exact same problem." he said. "If they have a solution to a problem, I'd encourage them to pursue it [as a business]."
Designing the cart, however, "was much more difficult than I thought because ... there are a lot of issues you have to consider," he said. "For example, how does it look, what will happen when it hits a wall, what happens if somebody leans on it."
