How to Start a Home Healthcare Service
Some elderly people do not want to spend their golden years in a hospital or nursing home. After an accident, undergoing therapy at home helps some patients feel as if they are getting back to their lives faster. Home healthcare services allow the elderly and those who need assistance performing day-to-day functions to continue to enjoy their lives in the comfort of their own homes. To start a home health care service, you need to follow a handful of steps.
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Things You'll Need
- Business license
- Health provider certification
- Nurse's scrubs
- Medical billing software
Instructions
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Apply for a business license. Follow your state's health department guidelines, and attend any required classes, to acquire a health provider certification.
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Develop a competitive rate strategy that satisfies your cash flow and profit goals and allows you to be a competitive employer. In "Entrepreneur Magazine," Kim T. Gordon writes, "In many competitive markets, there's price parity among the principal players. So the best way to win business is not to cut your prices or rates, but instead add products or services that elevate your offer--making it too good to resist."
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Calculate your funding needs. You may need a vehicle to get to appointments, medical billing software, and nursing scrubs. Contact private lenders for help with funding. Acquire a list from angel investor firm.
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Organize your home office. Start at home until you build up a client database that requires you to outsource healthcare services to other providers. Procure workers compensation insurance for self-employed persons.
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Create fliers and brochures. For copywriting help, post a "help wanted" ad on-line on a site like Craigslist. Review samples. Choose the best candidate.
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Distribute fliers and brochures to nursing homes, hospitals and assisted living facilities. Get the word out to family and friends. Write articles, giving healthcare tips for a local newsletter.
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Hire certified home service providers to help take part of your workload, once your business grows. Check their credentials with the Department of Health.
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Institute policies and procedures you want those you hire to follow to ensure your standards of quality are met. In a "Bloomberg Business Week" article, Andrew Pearce, CEO of Powwownow says, "Institute a telecommuting policy. Although everyone may not be in the same office, it's critical that everyone be on the same page and clearly understand expectations and requirements."
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit much of green pills image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com
