How to start your own clinic
The first step…
I have mentioned this to several colleagues, and they are overwhelmed by the process. Trust me, if a lowly assistant can be successful and profitable for 9 years, so can you.
The first step is a combination of two things;
1a. Pick a business name. You will need to finalize this for paperwork.
1b. Pick and/or assess your location or market. The decision on the name will be tied to the market. If you are the first therapy clinic in town (unlikely now) name it “Small Town USA” Physical Therapy. You want that for search results.
Otherwise, consider your name “John Smith” Physical Therapy. People won’t remember your cute, fancy high brow name, “Applied Kinesthetics Research.” Retirees talk about,” that nice young man, John, I don’t remember his last name…”
Apply for a local business license.
Take that local business license and get a state tax ID number online.
You should already have your National Provider Identifier number. Ask your current employer for it, or look it up online.
Go online and apply for your business to be a Medicare Provider. It was 60 pages when I did it. Not fun, but a monkey can fill it out. Back then it required signatures in blue ink, sent through the mail. I payed for certified mail and return receipt. It came back approved after 60 days. One of my proudest business moments.
Find out if your state has a group of medical providers that formed a union to negotiate against the private insurance cartels. Consider joining them and it might make credentialing easier.
Start seeing patients. Medicare used to have a 90 day grace period, where you could back bill waiting for your provider number. State Medicaid did not, so I got screwed out of all payments for 90 days. Another reason to push cash.
Here’s another reference;
Don’t be in a rush to hire employees, if you don’t have to. That overhead is the most costly and stressful.
Many, many people have money, they just don’t want to part with it. Literally trillions of dollars are out in the world. You just have to go get it. You won’t be working 9-5, with weekends off at first. My first year I saw 7 patients on New Years Day.
But I was happy, thrilled that I was making it for myself. I was also making $60-120/visit with that contract. It takes a couple years to be established, and then you can put more limits on your work time.
It sounds like hard work, but it’s not when it’s for yourself.
When your current manager and/or HR have thrown a wet blanket of patronizing rhetoric on your soul, questioning your very existence in the profession, working for yourself is heaven.