How To Scale Your Private Medical Practice

Private Medical Practice

Physicians who run their own clinic are not only expected to fulfill the duties of a medical practitioner but also that of a chief executive officer, manager, and business owner—all at the same time. 

The reality, however, is that doctors can quickly feel exhausted and overwhelmed after attending to medical concerns and emergencies. As a result, finding the time and resources to manage and expand their medical practice is almost impossible to do. 

However, this does not have to be the case, as there are physicians whose private practice has successfully expanded. Scaling a private medical practice will require more time, effort, and cost, but any type of business goes through the same process.

For medical professionals who are interested in scaling their private medical practice but aren’t sure how to get started, below is a comprehensive how-to guide that can put you in the right direction:

Find And Hire The Right Employees

Like any business, your clinic needs a good team that can handle day-to-day operations efficiently. Your most valuable resource is your human capital, as their productivity and efficiency will be instrumental in the expansion of your business.

Your private medical practice’s care quality depends on who you recruit. Before, during, and after appointments, many of your staff will interact with patients. They may make appointments, collect payments, and even assist in treating patients.

Don’t rush to fill urgent positions. Instead, you should put your energy into building a strong team to ensure long-term success. And if possible, seek a consultant or manager who can oversee your expansion plans. They could be of great help if you want to know how to increase patient volume in a dental office, for example. Their expertise can help scale your private practice in a more efficient manner.

Automate Patient Scheduling

Offering online booking and automating the process can save you time and bring in more patients. With online scheduling software, patients can see your availability at their convenience, and you can take bookings whenever it’s best for you. Make sure the software you choose is compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) guidelines, user-friendly, and has extra features that can benefit your staff.

doctor appointment

Investing in scheduling software that can considerably cut down on administrative overhead is a wise decision. Automation removes a considerable amount of administrative work, allowing you to focus on more pressing concerns—especially in matters of expansion. 

Build Networks Or Partnerships

When it comes to expanding your business, your network is equally crucial. Joining forces with a specialist who can offer a different medical service is a great way to grow your clinic. For example, if you’re a cardiologist, it may be good to have a partner who is a pulmonologist so that in case patients need to check their respiratory health, they can rely on the expertise and comprehensiveness of your clinic. 

Like any business, you can expand your clinic through a partnership or merger. But before you decide to expand through mergers or partnerships, you must review the terms and check how it would affect your prerogative to manage the clinic or if you can still retain supervisory powers. 

In addition, it is also a great idea to have partner clinics or doctors in various areas. This way, your clinic can get referrals when their patients are moving to your area. These partner clinics don’t have to be in the same specialty as yours. General practitioners or family doctors, for example, can do referrals when their patients need to see a specialist.

Identify Suitable Locations For Expansion

A scaled-up medical practice implies that your clinic has successfully expanded in various locations. Not just any location though. If you want to sustain a successful private medical practice, you have to choose your locations properly.

Like any establishment, you have to choose a strategic location that can potentially bring you more foot traffic. It may help if your clinics are near offices or residential complexes, making them a convenient location for most patients

Once you successfully expand your clinic, your priorities would also change. So, you have to prepare for this huge shift. This could mean that you’ll be less concerned with providing routine care to patients and should rather instead oversee the operations of each location. This is why hiring the right team or staff is very crucial. 

Conclusion

Overall, the growth of your private practice will inevitably bring you both financial reward and greater difficulty. To do this, you’ll need to shift your approach and look for innovative ways to maintain the quality of your work as your team grows and while your customer base expands.