Opening a Medical Practice Checklist

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, Members of Laurel Road for Doctors can sign in and read our companion piece that goes into even greater detail.