How to Start a Home Health Nurse Agency
With the baby boomers entering into older age, the services of home health nursing agencies may be needed more. Many of these people have lived in their homes for years and do not want to give them up to go to a nursing home, retirement center or assisted-living facility. There are many people in need of a nurse's assistance for minor things, but are still completely capable of living in their own home. Because of these people, starting a home health nursing agency is become more in demand.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Obtain your license. To run any successful business, you must go through the proper channels to be considered a business. This means that you need a business license, an employer identification number from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as well as professional licenses required to run a home health nursing agency. Be sure to check with your state guidelines as each state is different. No matter which state you live in, you must have Medicare and Medicaid certifications to work with the elderly.
-
2
Decide whether to franchise or not. There may not be many home health nursing agencies, but the ones that are around have been successful in doing what they do. Deciding whether to franchise with one of these companies or going out on your own is an important step. There are generally less start-up costs when it comes to striking out on your own, however, you are left to make every decision yourself, which can be a daunting realization when people start calling for decisions to be made. Setting out with a franchise gives you a model to use in regard to how business should be set up as well as giving you a name that people already know and trust. Working within a franchise is like having a guide to show you what to do, making the whole process easier.
-
-
3
Find a location. This may not sound like something that needs to be mentioned, but it is likely that if you are going to be using your home for business, you are going to start getting tired very quickly of having people running in and out of your home all the time, not to mention getting business calls at all hours of the night and day. Working from home means it is unlikely that you will be leaving your home often if you live and work there. If you are going to be using your home for your business, you may consider setting up in the basement or adding a room to your house so that you have a private space people can go in and out of and leave the rest of your home to yourself. Renting out office space is not a bad idea either as it will give you a place to go to that you know is designated work. If you choose to rent or buy office space, make sure that it is in a good location without a lot of competition lurking around the corner.
-
4
Set up basic business information. With all the hustle and bustle of preparing your office and getting licenses, it is sometimes forgotten that there are other basic business things that need to be set up. These things include but are not limited to designing a website, setting up a payroll for your potential employees, devising a billing method, advertising your business, putting out ads looking for employees, as well as making all the necessary purchases you will need to be successful-- like computers, office supplies, envelopes, stamps and a telephone system. All of these items are important and without them, you will not be as successful as you like.
-
5
Hire employees. This may be the most critical and important step to your home health nursing program. If you do not have a nursing background, it is going to be difficult to assess whom is best to work for you and who needs more credentials. You are going to need nurses and physical therapists as well as caregivers that can provide basic needs to patients. Don't forget that medical coders are going to also be important to you if you do not know how to do it yourself. Insurance companies will need their information in medical code so that it can be processed properly. If you happen to know someone who can aid you in the hiring process, perhaps someone who works in the medical field, you will not be as frustrated at this process.
-
1
References
- Photo Credit elderly lady image by pixelcarpenter from Fotolia.com
