Successfully solo.

Each day, between office visits and rounds at Methodist Hospital, oncologist Gail Bender sees anywhere from 17 to 30 patients. She does this five days a week, working from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and she spends about three hours Saturday and Sunday seeing patients in the hospital and finishing paperwork. She's always keeping a close eye on expenses, and, like most physicians, she's spending considerable time dealing with payers. Unlike most of her colleagues, she's in business for herself.