As a doctor, starting out on your own with a private practice can be a daunting challenge, considering you do not have the institutional backing of a hospital. Here are 7-quick must-dos for starting your own practice. Treat this as a blueprint when you get started.

In addition to all the risks and responsibilities of a medical practitioner, you now also have to take on those that come with running a full-fledged business. But it is also rewarding, as colleagues with their own clinics will tell you, to be your own boss and not deal with the organisational politics of a large practice.

Well, it’s a complicated business, so one way to go about it is to talk it out with colleagues in your own speciality who have been there and done that, or hire healthcare management consultants who tend to provide end-to-end solutions in setting up practices.

But, for now, here are some fundamentals to help you get started!

Create a business plan, or at least a pro forma

The plan should outline expected investment, revenues and liabilities for a minimum of the first three years of the practice. This is required to obtain financing and planning out what kind of services you will be offering and the kind of equipment needed for the same. Unless you can afford it or are extremely confident, be conservative in your planning and approach as many financial institutions as possible to get the best possible quote for your loan. Those with dedicated healthcare divisions are better versed with the risks, revenue models and expenses of the sector.

Finish the paperwork

Healthcare is highly regulated and there is a lot of paperwork you need to wade through to ensure that your practice adheres to healthcare laws of the Centre, state and the municipality. From business registration to regulation regarding use of drugs and treatment of biomedical waste, from maintaining reports to be filed with healthcare authorities to workplace rules for your staff, the list of laws that you need to stay on top of can be intimidating. You might find yourself wanting to retain certain professionals like a certified public accountant, business attorney and financial planner.

Electronic Health Records system

In order to best serve your patients, you will need to invest in an Electronic Health Records system that can securely hold and transmit medical histories and prescriptions to providers and laboratories. This, with an integrated practice management system and medical billing system, can ensure headache free handling of your facilities operations and claims management. Crucial to this whole digital infrastructure is airtight security, considering you are handling highly personal and sensitive information of your clients, that even your staff should not be able to access unless authorised.

Make yourself known

Unless you are a senior doctor with an established personal brand, getting a steady stream of patients to your clinic might be tricky in the beginning. Especially since you will most likely be cut off from your regular referral network. Curiously, advertising that is allowed in case of a hospital, is restricted to some extent in private practice, so much so that there are strict rules for even the signboards outside the clinic. But there are still a few avenues where you can market yourself. Create a website, for example, and discuss some FAQs in your speciality, but make sure you are not giving out specific medical advice. Organise free health lectures in your community, if you can.

Clinic hours

This is where you double down on your speciality or customise it in line with the demographic, economic and health profile of your potential patients. This will also help you decide what kind of ancillary services you could provide at the clinic, so that you can stand out among your peers. And your working hours can be tailored according to this so that you are fully utilising your clinic hours; are your patients mostly working professionals? You can restrict timings to off-business hours. Are they more likely to be seniors? Then they are more able to visit during the lean hours.

Maximise investment

Here is an opportunity for you to identify underserved areas and capitalise on the lack of medical practices here. Also, strike the right balance in regard to how accessible you are to your target clientele. The closer you are to them, the better chance they will come and keep coming. A location that gives you an advantage of language and culture will help patients relate to you and vice versa. To maximise your investment in the practice, you could also rent out the premises to other doctors when you are not using them or give yours in exchange for theirs so that both you can expand your patient coverage.

Employ reliable staff

People are the heart of any business and it’s the same for your clinic. Whether it is your front office staff, who are the face and voice of your practice, or nurses and technicians that support you, it is critical to employ reliable and talented professionals. They have to be invested in and work towards the professional values that you have set down for the practice. Considering the nature of the information they have to handle, background checks before hiring are not unwarranted. And don’t hire friends and family who will be difficult to fire.

The author, Ayswarya Murthy is a Bengaluru-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.