Not just a doctor, but part of the family
“I love medicine. I love what you can offer people as a physician,” said Dr. Tedeschi, who still sees patients occasionally – namely those with special needs or require his input.

“I’m a doctor in my mind, but physically I’m not able to do as much,” said the father of two – a son, a pediatrician who is also a member of Advocare, and a daughter, a lawyer. “As long as doctors need me, I’m going to keep working.”

Presently, Dr. Tedeschi puts in at least 60 hours per week as Advocare Chairman and CEO but noted that working long hours doesn’t faze him.

“There is nothing more precious to people than their children,” he said. “I always had to be there for the parents – night or day.”

He added that it was the close relationships he commonly formed with his patients and their families that made him realize how much little time physicians today have to interact with their patients.

“As a pediatrician, you almost become part of the family because it’s not always a physical ailment that needs to be treated,” he said. “Parents today need a lot of guidance. They have fears about things like immunizations and autism… it takes a lot of time to talk to them and direct them. If I can give doctors more time to do that, to me that is a great service.”

He said that having an understanding family made it easy for him to stay so devoted to practicing pediatric medicine and assisting others who practice it as well.

“I have a very supportive wife who persevered through all of my nonsense,” he said, adding, “If you have a family that buys into it all, it makes life worthwhile.”

So where does Dr. Tedeschi say he gets such great perseverance and drive? Genetics.

“I have uncles who are working well into their 80s, and my mother worked until she was 91, commuting from South Jersey to Philly every day,” he said.

Dr. Tedeschi has no plans yet to retire.

Follow Princeton’s example
As a member of the Governor’s Task Force for Medical Malpractice and the Medical Liability Task Force of the Medical Society of New Jersey, Dr. Tedeschi said that medical professional liability insurance providers just need to do what Princeton’s doing in order to best serve the healthcare community.

“Educate us,” he said, referring to Princeton’s innovative risk management and patient safety tools and programs. “The doctors love Princeton’s risk management initiatives. We receive enormous amounts of positive feedback.”

Dr. Tedeschi said the reason he has remained a policyholder with Princeton Insurance for so long is because of the company’s goals to keep those they insure informed and knowledgeable.

“Princeton has been fantastic to us. I’ve remained with them since the 80s because it’s not just about lowering rates. It’s really about education.”

The feeling among Princeton staff members about the opportunity to insure Dr. Tedeschi is equally as strong.

“We take pride in the fact that we partner with some of the most outstanding healthcare providers in the state, and a policyholder with a record as strong as Dr. Tedeschi’s is always of the utmost value to us as a medical professional liability insurance provider,” said Lois Hogya, vice president of underwriting and marketing/communications at Princeton Insurance.

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