If you’re preparing to open your own medical practice, there’s a good chance you’re beginning to feel overwhelmed by the vast number of tasks ahead. We’ve created the following checklist to help you stay organized as you move through the process. From the initial preparations to your marketing plan, our medical practice checklist will help you stay on task.
How to start a medical practice checklist
Use the following checklist to follow the necessary steps for opening a practice.
1. Initial Preparations
2. Administration
3. Location
4. Purchase Equipment
5. Secure Vendors
6. Create a Practice Plan
7. Start Marketing
Initial Preparations
Initial preparations that should be made for opening a practice include:
- Create a business plan
- Secure financing
- Choose business name
- Figure out business model/entity type
- Open a business account
- Decide on types of services offered
Administration
Next, focus on the administrative decisions and actions that will need to be made:
- Incorporate as a legal entity
- Start the credentialing process
- Apply for state licensing
- Apply for employer identification number (EIN)/ tax ID
- Apply for Medicare provider number
- Apply for insurance (e.g. liability, medical malpractice, umbrella)
- Register with the Drug Enforcement Administration
Location
Location is key to your business’ success. Make sure to:
- Select an accessible location
- Negotiate lease
- Sign lease
- Obtain Certificate of Occupancy
- Select and purchase furniture
- Purchase signage
Purchase Equipment
Equipment and technology that should be purchased include:
- Office equipment
- Practice management software
- Electronic health records
- Other software solutions, such as credit card processing
Secure Vendors
Look into vendors that may need to be secured, such as:
- Janitorial services
- Contracts for services such as MRIs, labs, etc.
- Medical waste management
- Document disposal
Compliance
Check that your practice is compliant with:
- CLIA
- OSHA
- HIPAA
- Stark
Create a Practice Plan
Important steps for planning how your practice operates include:
- Payroll
- Benefits
- Fee schedule
- Billing and data entry
- Hire personnel
- Patient financial policy
Start Marketing
Focus on different marketing steps, such as:
- Create a website
- Logo
- Social media
- Direct marketing
- Email marketing
- SEO/Google Ads
This list will help get you started on your journey to open your own practice. If you want a more extensive checklist, read our companion piece for an even more detailed checklist for starting your own practice.
