A Guide to Opening Your Private Practice

After committing years of hard work and experience to your medical practice,
you’ve recognized that you possess a unique set of skills and innovative thinking to open your own practice.

By establishing your practice, you will become the main boss and administrator to serve patients in your community.

But opening a private practice takes more than being a skilled physician.

You need to know how to operate a medical facility while acting as a savvy entrepreneur.

There will be a broader range of responsibilities on your plate as you manage, track finances, promote and market your practice, all while servicing patients.

The benefit of private practice is that you are in the driver’s seat and can control how things are run or how your patients experience your specialized services.

However, this will entail you paying a hefty price to startup your practice.

There are several factors to consider as a physician opening their own practice.

You first need to ensure you are ready to take on the intense workload of running a business while performing medical duties.

Do you believe you can achieve this balance?

Furthermore, ask yourself these questions:

What Is Your Motivation for Running Your Practice?

When considering if you should take the leap to run your own business, it is important to consider its reason.

By having a clear reason why you should open a practice and how it offers a unique solution to patients, you will be more committed to the process and efforts involved.

What Skills Qualifies You to Lead?

While you may have been successful as a physician because you are an expert in medical knowledge, do you possess the skills to run a business and lead a workforce?

Some of the skills you’ll want to develop or strengthen when opening your practice include:

• Financial savviness
• Time management
• Organizational
• Networking
• Marketing
• Business planning and strategizing
• Interpersonal skills

Your abilities need to extend beyond being a strong doctor to being an effective leader and business owner.

Remember, you’re taking on a whole new role when opening your practice which may not be so familiar to you, but if you strengthen the above skills and more, you can successfully open your clinic doors and be the captain of a smooth sailing ship.

If you’re feeling brave enough to endeavor to open your own clinic, it’s likely because you already possess some qualities of running a business or managing a team and operation.

Who Is Your Patient Clientele and Where Do You Go?

When planning your private practice, you’ll, of course, need a home base.

Your clinic location will play a heavy role in how your patients access you and whether you are visible enough to attract clients organically.

The first thing you need to do when looking for your office space and developing your business plan is to determine who your patients are.

Will your clinic help families?

In that case, you may want to find a location near school districts or family-filled neighborhoods.

Are you a geriatric practitioner opening your private practice to improve access and services for your clientele?

Open a clinic around nursing homes or in a retirement community in your area.

By conducting a review of the services you plan to offer and who would be seeking them, you can investigate the best locations to open your clinic.

It’s easier to gain more patients if you’re within close reach.

Better yet, understanding your target clientele will help you cater your promotional or marketing efforts in ways to appeal to them and draw them to choose you for their healthcare.

What’s Your Business Plan?

While it’s ideal for you to walk into your clinic and simply get to work helping your patients, being a private practice leader entails much more than this.

When deciding what you can afford, you need to put your business person hat on and outline a logical plan that will determine everything you need to meet your ultimate goal of helping people in your community.

Your Budget and Cost Considerations

Unless you have a committed investor behind you, your private practice will be costly for you before you can start earning your profits.

However, you need to evaluate:

• Property costs for your practice (buying a space, renovations or
  maintenance expenses, electricity and plumbing costs, etc.)
• Tax
• Loan payments
• Costs of hiring staff, including other practitioners, specialists, nurses, administrators, etc.
• Income earnings
• IT and equipment costs

These are among the main expenses to consider when developing your private practice budget.

It’s always best to map out every possible expense so you can be prepared and set aside the funds you need to begin your operations and build them to become a profitable business in the long run.

Who Do You Need On Your Team?

Have you worked with nurses in the past with unbeatable patient communication skills?

Do you have peers in the field seeking a new venture where they can take their talents and treat their patients?

When building your team, you’ll need to consider your clinic goals and the type of people who will support you.

Another role you’ll be taking on as a private practice operator is human resources, so you need to become a focused recruiter to find the best talent to work in your setting.

In the early stages, you may decide to be the sole employee running all facets of the practice until you can afford more help.

Receive Your First Aid & CPR Training for a Safe Workplace

Opening a private practice takes plenty of self-reflection and logical planning.

You must take time to recognize how your skills will apply to running your own business and what you need to work on to become a strong leader.

Your planning also requires plenty of research for your target clientele and resources so you can set yourself up for success.

When opening a business, it’s also essential that you have the necessary training and certifications needed for handling emergencies on your premises.

Renew all certifications in First Aid & CPR, ACLS, PALS, and BLS so you can run a safe practice for your employees and patients.

With ProMed Certifications, you can renew your certifications online for your convenience.

Fit your training around your business schedule by pausing your progress whenever necessary and easily picking up where you left off when you have the time.

View our available courses and sign up for ProMed Certifications now!