How does one get started with creating a private practice? What important steps did you have to take such as establish connections with insurance companies, insurance, protection against legal action, etc?
The first thing was to protect my business from my personal assets. I created an LLC and eventually a S-corporation. I also did not want to use my social security number so I created a NPI number (national provider identifier) as well as created a Tax Identification number. I hired a lawyer at the very beginning steps who helped me also create paperwork that explained the patient/provider relationship, expectations and more.
What were any significant challenges when building your brand and how did you overcome them?
Time is always the challenge. I needed to be able to see patients and earn an income while also alerting the public of who I am and why I’m the best choice for them. A lot of my marketing was created in the evening and then disseminated during breakfast from patients. The biggest challenge for me, however, was insurance. It is not a helpful organization. I found that they auto deny a lot and it could take 45 min to 1 hour to get a customer service representative on the phone who could resubmit the original claim that was usually an admin mistake on their end. This would delay payment which decreased cash flow significantly.
Where do you get your patients and how do you establish yourself in the field?
My number 1 referral right now is word of mouth. I’ve been in business for 16 years and people refer to me based on their experience with my practice. When I was first getting started however I marketed to physician offices that worked with patients I was looking for as well as therapists, physical therapists, and orthopedic surgeons. I market myself by getting information to the public and doctor’s office about what I do, I have a podcast, I use social media and EVERY time I see a patient I send a follow up note to the MD or therapist (when appropriate). I feel like this is free marketing as it lets them know how their patient is doing and leads to collaboration. If I’m doing my job, it makes their job a little easier.
When starting a private practice, how does one support themselves financially when they don’t have many patients?
I saved up money for about a year before I started my practice so that I would not be stressed financially. If this isn’t possible for someone I’d suggest that they start slow in the private practice potentially offering night or weekend hours. Once you are at a place where you have significant income you can quit or reduce hours at your other job and change hours accordingly.
There are many private practice dietitians out there. How does one separate themselves from the crowd?
Focus on a niche. No RD can be great at everything. What is your passion? What are you good at? Focus on that and build from there.
Is starting a private practice appropriate for an entry level RD? How many years of experience should an RD have before establishing a private practice?
I don’t think so. You really need to have a strong clinical foundation and understand how to collaborate with other professionals. I would recommend that someone has at least 2 years of clinical experience before they attempt to move to private practice.
Do you feel financially stable running your own business?? As the owner of a big group practice, how do you decide to pay your staff?
I’m comfortable with my salary and at times feel I get paid too little. It really depends on the demands of my patients. I’ve started to diversify my income though with additional work so I don’t have to rely on varying visits or my staff for income. My staff gets paid a % of the total visit for each patient. They start at 50% and can move up to 70% once they start to bring in their own patients, help market our products etc.
Can private practice dietitians see patients in different states?
Yes, we are all licensed in multiple states.
How do you decide when to transition from a PP to a group practice? How did your responsibilities change as your brand expanded?
I decided to move to a group practice when I had a very long wait list and noticed that there wasn’t a practice that I could refer to who provided the same service. With each hire I have to increase time with collaborating and managing staff and lots of admin work.
Do you have any resources you’d recommend for how to build a brand/business/PP?
