A physician with nearly two decades of experience in emergency medicine has found it challenging to maintain connections with colleagues across different hospitals, conferences, and professional organizations. Some of these connections are made on LinkedIn, while others are scattered across text threads, WhatsApp groups, and old email chains, making it difficult to keep track of them. This difficulty is further exacerbated by the fact that changing jobs can disrupt these relationships, highlighting the need for a more sustainable solution.
Recently, this physician tested Out Offcall’s newest offering, called Lounges, at the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) conference. Lounges aim to connect physicians around shared specialties, interests, and professional goals, providing a community that extends beyond current employers. By doing so, Lounges address the issue of professional relationships becoming fragmented due to the numerous tech connections in medicine.
Addressing Physician Needs
Lounges offer a space where physicians can build relationships across institutions, specialties, and geographic boundaries, exchanging ideas about clinical practice, emerging technologies, and professional interests. They can also explore opportunities in entrepreneurship, consulting, investing, and career development, and make introductions and referrals through trusted networks. The value of these communities depends on meaningful participation, and the goal is to curate more intentional networking.
The Emergency Entrepreneurs Lounge
At the ACEP conference, the physician launched the “Emergency Entrepreneurs” Lounge for emergency physicians building companies, developing technologies, investing, advising startups, or exploring opportunities beyond clinical medicine. This community already exists, but it needed a home, and the Lounge provides a more sustainable way to maintain those relationships. The Lounge was used to connect with physician innovators attending events such as the Emergency Medicine Innovative Collaborative’s pitch event and Dr. Patrick O’Malley’s ShiftChange Innovation Happy Hour.
A Professional Network That Grows
Those interested in connecting around healthcare innovation can join the “Physician Innovators” Lounge, which will be used at the HLTH conference in Las Vegas to connect around panels, parties, and other professional events. The goal is to create a community that provides meaningful connections and opportunities for physicians to grow and develop throughout their careers. Any views expressed above are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of HealthCentral LLC.© 2026 HealthCentral LLC. All rights reserved.
