How To Start Your Own Telemedicine Practice

Starting your own medical practice is an exciting way to take control of how you practice medicine.

It can also be a complicated process that requires you to plan and take into consideration all of the factors involved.

Although, it may give you the freedom to set up whatever kind of practice you want.

A rapidly growing trend that you might be considering is starting your own telemedicine private practice.

What exactly is telemedicine?

Telemedicine is a method to remotely provide health related services through telecommunication technology.

It allows you to provide long distance medical services and care.

At Symbiosis we can help you start your own private practice through our medical coworking spaces in Washington DC and in Tysons Corner, Virginia.

RELATED: What Is A Medical Coworking Space?

There are a lot of benefits of a medical coworking space even when starting your own telemedicine practice.

Let’s take a look at the process of how to start your own telemedicine practice.

Why Start A Telemedicine Private Practice?

If you’re thinking about starting your own telemedicine private practice there are several potential benefits.

Starting your own private practice allows you to be your own boss and gives you freedom to run your practice as you want.

Let’s talk about some of the benefits in more detail and why this type of practice may be a good option for you.

It Can Give You More Flexibility

Telemedicine sessions can be conducted very similarly to in person sessions.

Telemedicine sessions can feel more comfortable for patients as they are interacting through technology rather than in person.

It also creates opportunities for patients to access and use interactive materials online.

It Can Save You Time And Money

Since telemedicine is remote, you’ve got a wider access to locations from which you can practice.

If you’re interested in serving a remote area, you can do so through telemedicine rather than actually moving there.

Having a telemedicine practice also reduces some of the equipment your practice may need and those associated costs.

Operating as a telemedicine clinic can also reduce no shows or canceled appointments, ultimately saving you time and money.

It’s Convenient And Accessible

Telemedicine allows patients with disabilities, transportation limitations, and financial struggles to have greater access to care.

The ease and convenience allow you and your patients to schedule appointments efficiently and significantly save time.

This method of providing health services can also help you expand your patient base to those with specific needs.

It can be a way of encouraging patients to come to you as they trust the sense of privacy and safety they get over in person sessions.

Telemedicine can also protect patients and clinicians from spreading infectious disease by conducting sessions remotely.

By incorporating telemedical care you can connect with patients and create a convenient method of providing healthcare services.

What Do You Need To Start A Telemedicine Private Practice?

There are many different factors that go into starting and operating your own telemedicine private practice.

Let’s take a look at what you need to efficiently and successfully run a telemedicine clinic.

An Area Of Focus For Your Clinic

Operating a telemedicine clinic is flexible, but you’ll have to decide on what type of healthcare you want to practice.

You can specialize your practice towards a specific set of patients that would benefit from remote access and treatment.

Some forms of therapy or healthcare may be easier to operate virtually and more convenient and enticing for your patients.

For example, speech therapy and occupational therapy can be highly effective over telemedicine.

Certain types of physical therapy can as well.

On the other hand, manual therapies like massage therapy or acupuncture need to be in person.

Consider the area of clinical practice you want to pursue and how you can practice it through telemedicine.

A Reliable Virtual Clinic Software

In order to operate your virtual telemedicine practice, reliable clinic software is a must.

Electronic health record (EHR) systems are essential for digitizing records and communicating efficiently.

An EHR can give you access to patients’ records, communication with other providers, lab and prescription orders, and information on your finances and revenue.

Incorporated in your EHR you’ll have practice management systems that’ll track all front office information and help operations.

This software will also facilitate the medical billing process.

Naturally, a virtual clinic needs reliable software to hold telemedicine appointments.

Zoom is a common option because they specifically comply with HIPAA regulations.

However, you may want to research other options as well.

Various Equipment For Your Clinic

What sort of equipment will you need for the specific way you decide to run your telemedicine practice?

When running your projections, don’t forget to account for the cost of the equipment, as well as maintenance, insurance, and any training you might need for it.

The type of equipment you need and the added overhead cost will depend on the scope of your clinical practice.

A Reliable Clinic Administrator

Despite operating virtually, your clinic will still have day to day operations.

Things like scheduling and rescheduling appointments, billing insurance, managing patient files, and more.

So it’s important to make sure you’re hiring someone reliable for your medical support staff.

It helps to spend some time getting familiar with how efficient practices operate and how to systemize your private practice.

This will give you a stronger idea of what to look for in a job candidate.

In particular, it’s important to make sure you have an admin with private practice healthcare billing and revenue cycle management experience.

After all, that’s how you get paid.

A Way To Acquire New Patients

Starting a telemedicine clinic is great.

But where are the patients coming from?

Networking with other healthcare providers to establish a referral network in your community is a great place to start.

But there’s a lot more to it than that.

Building and executing an effective private practice digital marketing strategy can help you make sure the patients keep coming in.

Do You Still Need A Clinical Space If You Only Do Virtual Medicine?

Yes, most jurisdictions and healthcare insurance companies require at least one in-person visit before you can begin offering telehealth services.

But beyond the requirements by law and insurance policies, there are other reasons why a physical clinic space is a good idea.

One concern to take into account is safety.

Operating out of your home or via a mobile clinic may seem nice, but it can present a risk with patients unexpectedly showing up at your door.

This can be awkward at best and dangerous at worst.

It’s also important to be in control of your space to avoid unwanted attention.

This is especially true if you provide a form of manual therapy, like massage therapy, where the setting may feel inherently more intimate.

If a patient behaves inappropriately and you practice in your home (or theirs), the situation may feel even more frightening.

A mobile clinic also adds to your overhead through gas, traffic, and travel time, and limits how many patients you can see daily.

And what happens if you get into an accident?

Not only will you have to pay to repair your vehicle (and any damaged equipment), your practice will also grind to a halt while you wait for the mechanics to do their work.

And still, it’s important to have a physical space to receive mail and packages.

A PO box capable of receiving packages here in DC costs roughly $500 monthly, whereas operating through Symbiosis reduces that cost to half.

And since you can’t use a PO box to register your practice as a business, that option is out the window anyway.

How The Medical Coworking Space At Symbiosis Can Help

There’s a lot that goes into starting your own telemedicine private practice.

There are many benefits of starting your private practice in a medical coworking space like Symbiosis.

You’ll be able to network with other healthcare providers and organically grow your practice.

Operating in a medical coworking space can also reduce your overhead by giving you access to equipment and a physical space, all at a fraction of the cost of subletting.

A medical coworking space also provides you access to competent front desk staff that can manage your administrative tasks.

And any medical coworking space worth its salt will have a team that knows the best practices for marketing private practices.

By operating through a medical coworking space you’re able to focus on treating your patients and growing your practice.

Contact Symbiosis To Start Your Own Private Practice Today

At Symbiosis we can help you start and operate your private clinic by giving you the resources and freedom to focus on your practice.

In this space you’re able to access budgeting services, equipment, networking, and reliable administrative staff.

Starting your own private practice can be daunting but working in a space through Symbiosis can make it easier.

Contact Symbiosis, and take your first step toward starting your own private practice today.