Things to Consider When Opening a Medical Practice

One of the most rewarding things in life is finding a way to turn your passion into a business. There is something invigorating about doing what you love to do, on your own, and getting paid for it.

If you’re a medical professional, then maybe you want to open your own practice. Your situation is a unique one: you studied and trained for years and likely took on a lot of debt to get where you are today. Opening a practice is nothing like opening a car dealership, restaurant, or clothing boutique. As a medical professional, you have more responsibility and more at stake.

While you have a lot to do before you are ready for business, here are some pointers to help you get there.

People make the world go ‘round

There are many things you need to take into serious consideration before you are ready to open your doors and welcome patients in. You have to outfit your practice with medical equipment and furniture. Just as importantly, you have to hire reliable people to help you run your business and drum up more business.

You may be a consummate professional, but you can’t run an entire medical practice on your own. You need help! In business, the people who work for you are your most valuable resources. Your most important task when opening your own practice is to find the right people to help you to make your office a success.

Think of the last time you were interested in going somewhere that you hadn’t been before, like a restaurant perhaps. You likely went online to find customer reviews, right? What you found in those reviews is that people reviewed not only the food, but the experience, or customer service as well. If the server was rude to a guest, then that guest will tell people that the restaurant has an attitude problem, even if they never met the restaurant’s owner.

As a doctor, your face will not be the first face that patients see when they arrive at your office. It is important that the staff you surround yourself with represents you in a way that makes patients want to trust you with their health. You want employees who can see your vision for your practice and are willing to support that vision. Those are the people who will go above and beyond the call of duty to make your office run like a well-oiled machine. When you find those people, value them.

Outfitting your practice

When patients come to come to you for solutions to their health problems, they are placing a tremendous amount of trust in you. In business, perception is everything. The appearance of your equipment and furniture will tell your patients a lot about you before they ever even meet you.

People have their own ideas of what they should see in a practice, and it is up to you to meet those expectations. If you’re a pediatric dentist, for example, then you want your office to appear kid-friendly.

Medical equipment is astronomically expensive. It is okay to buy used equipment, but some things are just better when they’re new. If you’re opening a new radiology practice, then you want new lead aprons. Things that wear easily should always be purchased new. You don’t visitors coming into your new practice and seeing old or worn equipment and furniture.

Opening your own medical practice is a heavy undertaking, but that’s alright: you’ve trained for this. If you hire reliable people and make your office a homey reflection of yourself, then your training will take care of the rest.

Adam Hansen
 

Adam is a part time journalist, entrepreneur, investor and father.