In 49 B.C., Rome was at a turning point. Julius Caesar, then governor of Gaul, was becoming extremely popular among the people. His influence was quickly growing, and it posed a serious threat to the authority of the Roman Senate and to Pompey, who held power in Rome.

Sensing a shift in public attitude, the Senate issued an edict to Caesar to resign his command and disband his army or risk being declared an “enemy of the state.” Pompey was directed to enforce this decree, and civil war loomed in Italy.

In January 49 B.C., Caesar and his army were stationed in the northern Italian city of Ravenna. Upon hearing of this edict, he was faced with a decision. He could submit to the Senate’s demand, or he could cross the Rubicon and move southward to confront Pompey’s men and put into motion a revolution and bloody civil war that would change Rome forever.

An ancient Roman law made it an act of treason for any general to cross the Rubicon River and enter Italy with a standing army. Caesar’s unbending political aspirations, his vision for the development of an empire, and his ultimate decision are documented by Suetonius, a Roman historian:“…coming up with his troops on the banks of the Rubicon, which was the frontier of his province, he halted for a while, and revolving in his mind the importance of the step he meditated, he turned to those about him, saying: 'Still we can retreat! But once let us pass this little bridge, - and nothing is left but to fight it out with arms!' Even as he hesitated this incident occurred. A man of strikingly noble men and graceful aspect appeared close at hand, and played upon a pipe. To hear him not merely some shepherds, but soldiers too came flocking from their posts, and amongst them some trumpeters. He snatched a trumpet from one of them and ran to the river with it; then sounding the "Advance!" with a piercing blast he crossed to the other side. At this Caesar cried out, 'Let us go where the omens of the Gods and the crimes of our enemies summon us! “THE DIE IS NOW CAST!” or “ALEA IACTA EST!”

The moment Caesar crossed the Rubicon, there was no turning back. It was a monumental decision that ultimately established the powerful Roman Empire and laid the groundwork for modern European culture.

The decision to hire The Rubicon Group, while certainly smaller in scale, carries the same type of gravity and commitment. It marks that momentous point at which a medical practice takes a bold step that will change the way they do business forever.

Once you choose to work with The Rubicon Group, there is no going back to the old way of running your practice. When you are ready to add your practice to the list of progressive groups who are breaking out and leading the market (or industry)…. so is The Rubicon Group.