Sometimes the difference in care isn’t just what happens in the operating room, it’s what happens before.
�At , we’re not rushing to keep up with a hospital schedule. We’re not moving from case to case trying to stay on time. We have the ability to slow down, to listen, and to give patients the time they actually need.
One of my patient’s today traveled from Michigan for a revision to her breast reconstruction. We had already talked through the plan, but this morning I sat down with her and her husband again to walk through what today would look like.
Then I stepped out to give them some time and came back.
After having a few minutes to process, she had more questions and more thoughts to share with me. Those moments, when patients feel heard and when they feel safe enough to speak up, are where trust is built and when patient’s feel truly confident heading into surgery.
That’s something we can prioritize here.
04/21/2026
“What gave you the courage to stand up to something that big?”
That was the question I was asked at SXSW.
And the truth is, it did feel terrifying. This was a massive insurance company. The stakes were real.
But in that moment, it felt like everything came into focus.
It was the crystallization of what I had been seeing over and over again. The delays. The denials. The harm patients were experiencing inside a system that was supposed to care for them.
And the question became very simple: Do you really care? Do you care enough to risk it?
Because that is what courage often looks like. Not the absence of fear, but the decision that something else matters more.
This conversation was part of SXSW, where I joined CEO Trina Spear to talk about what it means to speak up, the pressure on providers, and what it takes to create change in healthcare.
Watch the full conversation:
04/20/2026
My dad spent his career building a small, independent allergy practice in Augusta, Georgia.
It was our family business and it was his life’s work.
When it came time for him to retire, he wanted to pass it on to someone who would continue that work but no one wanted it. Not because it wasn’t meaningful, but because independent practice wasn’t valued anymore.
What was valued was the land.
Today there’s a McDonald’s where his practice used to be. We’re grateful for the income it provides my parents but that’s not what was supposed to be there.
And yet here I am, running my own independent practice in Austin. Maybe that’s crazy after watching what my dad went through. But I’m not doing this because it’s easy, I’m doing it because it needs to be done.
If we’re not honest about how hard this is, we can’t fix it.
Independent physicians need to be valued. They need to be paid fairly. And when they retire, their work should be worth passing on.
The fact that it isn’t is a sign that something has gone very wrong.
This is my story. It’s my dad’s story. And it’s the story of healthcare in America.
04/17/2026
Overreach or absurdity?
A patient and I made a plan for her breast reconstruction at a specialized outpatient center. It’s where she wanted to be, and where I know she would have the best experience.
I submitted for approval.
Without telling either of us, the insurance company called a local hospital to see if I could do the surgery there instead. When the hospital said yes, they came back and told me I had to move her surgery.
Not because it was better for her. Just because it was possible.
A patient made an informed decision about her care. Her physician supported it. And the insurance company tried to override both of us.
Patients deserve the right to choose where they receive care. Physicians should be able to make recommendations based on what is best for the person in front of them, not what is most convenient for an insurance company.
I cannot overstate how inappropriate this is. This is not how healthcare should work.
04/16/2026
I sat with a patient today who first noticed a change in October. It’s April now. In all those months of appointments and follow-ups, her breast had only truly been looked at twice. That stayed with me.
If something has changed with your body — especially something under your clothes — please don’t just describe it. Show your team. Point to it. Say, do you see this?
Your care team should be asking to look. But if they aren’t, advocate for yourself. What I see with my eyes tells a story that no words ever could. You deserve that level of attention. Don’t let anyone just hear your words without truly seeing you.
04/15/2026
No one really teaches you how to understand your body until something goes wrong.
I lived with endometriosis for years. And by the time I had answers, I had already lost my ability to have children. Looking back, I wish I had understood earlier that fertility is a marker of overall health, not just something you think about when you want kids.
We talk so much now about menopause and perimenopause. But this is the kind of understanding we should have much earlier.
My friend wrote the book I wish I had in my twenties.
I’m reading it now. And sharing it because I don’t want you to miss what I didn’t know.
04/14/2026
Insurance companies are suing to avoid giving patients access to care.
Three years ago, I testified in Texas to address a problem I was seeing every single day in my practice. Patients had insurance, but they still could not access the care they needed.
Health plans were being sold with networks that did not actually include enough doctors. More than 90% of plans were not even meeting basic network standards.
So we passed a law to fix it. The goal was simple. Real networks. Real access. Real accountability.
And when it came time to enforce it, insurance companies sued to stop it.
So when you are told you are not a candidate, that there are no options, or that you have to wait, it is not always about your care. It is often about whether your plan actually gives you access in the first place.
This is not a one-off experience. It is part of a much bigger pattern.
We already know what needs to change. The question is whether we are willing to actually enforce it.
04/13/2026
The response to the New York Times interview has meant so much to me. Thank you for taking the time to listen, comment and DM me.
I have a challenge for you: Please go back and listen to what Dr. Brennan said. Really listen.
Two things jumped out at me:
1. How many times he used the phrase “unnecessary care”
2. How often he talked about policing patients
That is not what patients need. That is not what America needs.
What stood out to you?
To watch the full video, click here 👇
04/10/2026
This is the disconnect.
Insurance companies talk about populations. Physicians are responsible for the patient in front of them.
But when I am taking care of one patient, I am also thinking about every other patient who will face the same barriers, the same delays, and the same denials.
This is not just about one person. It is about a pattern that keeps repeating.
And I am speaking for the many physicians who have reached out and want their experiences to be heard.
This was part of my interview with , in conversation with Dr. Troyen Brennan, former chief medical officer at CVS Health, which owns Aetna insurance.
If you want to watch the full interview, it’s here:
04/09/2026
I don’t want to work in a system that requires heroic effort to get to the appropriate outcome.
This interview with made something very clear.
Dr. Troyen Brennan, a former chief medical officer at CVS Health, which owns Aetna insurance, shared that denials can be appealed and often overturned. And technically, that is true.
But what happens in real life is different.
Many denials are never appealed. People are exhausted, they are sick, and they do not have the time or support to keep fighting.
So the care does not get overturned. It simply does not happen.
Applying resistance to both the patient and the physician often leads to that outcome, not because the care is inappropriate, but because the process becomes too difficult to sustain.
We should be building a system where doing the right thing for the patient is the easiest path, not the hardest one.
If you have ever been told no by your insurance, this is part of why.
This interview just came out in and I want you to listen in.
I traveled to New York to sit down with an insurance executive for their new show Divided, and this conversation was the result.
You have heard me speak briefly about these issues before, but this is different. This is a full conversation, and I hope you will take the time to listen. There is so much I want to share with you.
No matter where you are in healthcare, this matters. It matters if you are a patient. It matters if you are a provider. It matters if you work inside an insurance company.
If there was a part of me walking into this conversation feeling tired and wondering if we are ever going to change healthcare or move things in a better direction, that part of me shifted.
Dr. Troyen Brennan, is a former chief medical officer at CVS Health, which owns Aetna insurance. On paper, we are at odds. But we chose honest, thoughtful, civil conversation.
I am proud of what we accomplished in that room, and I would value hearing what you think after you watch it.
Thank you and for having me. Thank you Dr. Troyen Brennan for having this conversation.
04/06/2026
Sometimes I have to remind myself of this.
The frustration I feel with healthcare is real.
When I see patients told they don’t need a surgery that could help them.
When I know that sometimes the real reason is reimbursement.
That feeling is not random.
It’s a signal.
A signal that something in the system is broken and needs to be changed.
Because if a doctor feels like they’re not being paid enough, the answer is not to lower the quality of care.
The answer is to fix the system so patients can still receive the care they need.
Anything else shifts the burden onto the patient.
And that is not where it belongs.
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With expertise and compassion, Dr. Elisabeth Potter guides her patients to embrace self beauty and strength.
Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Dr. Elisabeth Potter holds a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from Princeton University and a medical degree from the Emory University School of Medicine.
Building upon her expertise, Dr. Potter completed a Plastic Surgery Integrated Residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and a Microsurgery Fellowship at MD Anderson, one of the world’s most respected centers dedicated to cancer patient care, research, education and prevention.
Specializing in natural breast reconstruction, Dr. Potter has performed over 900 DIEP flap surgeries using patients’ natural fat and tissue. A former regulatory analyst of FDA law, Dr. Potter possesses a uniquely informed view regarding the safety and efficacy of breast implants. Tailoring treatment options to each individual, Dr. Potter and her team always put patients first. From educating women on their breast reconstructive and cosmetic surgery options to helping them achieve their very best results, Dr. Potter is committed to her patients and her role in their journey.
To help patients look and feel their personal best, Dr. Potter also offers body cosmetic surgery, including liposuction, abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), and arm, thigh and body lifts. Among her dedicated staff of healthcare professionals includes Licensed Medical Aesthetician, Injection Specialist and Laser Therapist Alissa Saenz and Cosmetic Nurse Injector Ashley Sartin. Adding to her practice’s comprehensive care services, Dr. Potter and her team offer aesthetic treatments ranging from HydraFacials, microneedling, chemical peels and laser treatments to injectables and dermal fillers.
From consultation to implementation, Dr. Potter and her team provide excellent patient care every step of the way. Here’s what some of Dr. Potter’s patients have to say:
“When I became very nervous about the increasing coronavirus spread in Austin, Dr. Potter and her co-surgeon Dr. Sprunt jumped through all the hoops (including a change of hospitals) to move my cancer surgery up a week so that I could have the procedure and be out of the hospital quickly to recover and "shelter in place" at home. My recovery has been almost painless as well as anxiety- and trouble-free, and Whitney and Sarah and Heidi and all of Dr. Potter's staff have been there for me whenever I had questions or concerns. I feel very lucky that I will have Dr. Potter and her staff there for me throughout the reconstruction process. Thank you all!”
-Chrissi M.
“Dr. Potter is fabulously gifted and a warm human being. I went to her after my initial reconstruction was botched. I was so afraid I would have to go through life with one breast smaller and deformed. Dr. Potter took all the time I needed to understand what needed to happen and what she was going to do. 10 weeks later I could not be happier. Not only do my breasts match but I have a beautiful belly.”
-Julia B.
“She is incredibly caring and nurturing. She's a fierce patient advocate and will go above and beyond to care for her patients. She's friendly and funny and kind and most importantly very honest. She's not the kind of surgeon to "cut" and run. She only offers options that are in the best interest of her patients. I trust her implicitly. You won't be able to find another plastic surgeon in Austin that is more skilled and more caring than Dr. Elisabeth Potter. Guaranteed.”
