In my initial blog article last week, I mentioned our recent endeavor to become more digital in our marketing efforts, thus following the rules of what seems to be Digital Marketing 101, to create a blog.
In learning about the various digital marketing opportunities, as well as how to drive more traffic to our website, I discovered the website Quora. I hope I’m not the only person who hasn’t heard of it until now, as it seems millions of people have been actively participating on the site, enjoying the benefits it has to offer. Quora is a website that allows individuals to submit questions of any topic you can imagine. Upon signing up, you check off the topics you have expertise in, so that when questions are submitted, you are notified, for the possibility you may be able to answer it. Naturally, I have selected multiple healthcare groups, as an area I can be of value in answering . One of the questions that caught my attention, was a physician who asked what is most important to consider, when preparing to open a medical practice.
Having opened multiple practices of various different specialties, I took a minute to think about what the common denominator would be, if I were to pinpoint the most important thing when opening a practice. After thinking about it, I could not pinpoint one thing, but rather, more of a mindset. There are a number of decisions that need to be made prior to opening that are very important. Such as, the right location, to rent or build, which EMR, partnership or sole prop, financing, etc. With the process we use, we really hold the physician’s hand in making these decisions, therefore, nothing about any of these things stood out to me. Where we have seen physicians hit some hurdles though, is their expectation for what is need versus what is a greed in a new practice. Many of the physicians we work with to open a practice, previously came from a large group. In saying that, they are used to a large staffs possessing administrative personnel to cover anything and everything, and plenty of backup clinical support staff, should one of the nurses call in. Additionally, they likely have every piece of equipment imaginable. But…..I can assure you, those large groups did not open the doors on day one, with all of those luxuries in place. It took time to build the practice, growing the patient panel, a great medical biller, and paying down debt, to gradually be able to afford those things.
When we contract with a physician to open their practice, we provide a comprehensive, turnkey solution. As we prepare the practice to open, we’re very honest with the physician about what they need to open the doors, versus what is greed. We want the physician to ramp up quickly, and make money, rather than spend more than what they are bringing in. If they previously worked with a large group, this initial phase is painful. They may need to take a patient back, because the nurse is either busy with another patient, generating lab results, or on the phone. If the primary nurse calls in, and the backup nurse is unable to help, the physician may need to do their own shots that day. And the list goes on.
Starting a business, regardless of what type, is painful. There is a real grind to make it, of which only certain personality types are fit to handle. The pain is well worth it in the end, as you will eventually reap a reward. Fortunately, if you contract with us to open a medical practice, we do all we can to minimize the frustration of opening a new business. We don’t just open the doors and then say goodbye. We offer to provide you with administrative support that puts all of the administrative burden on our backs, and allows you to focus on just practicing medicine. And, we truly do take your success personally, doing all we can to make that happen as quickly as possible. Thinking of opening your own practice? Eliminate the frustration and headaches, and give us a call first. Click here to learn more!
