pursuing private practice
TRANSCRIPT
Pursuing Private Practice:Start, Grow, and Succeed!
Jennifer McGurk, RDN, CDN, CDE, CEDRDOwner of Eat With KnowledgeAuthor of Pursuing Private Practice series
Goals• Why do you want to start your own business?• The benefits of being your own boss• Learn the logistics of starting a business• Set up your ideal business location• Talk about pros and cons of insurance• Build a brand for yourself and your business• Learn tips to grow your business• Talk about work/life balance• Define “success” in many ways• Discuss where private practice leads you• Resources for more information
RDN’s as Entrepreneurs
Nutrition is EVERYWHERE!
Is this you?• Passionate about nutrition• Leadership personality• Organized or know what works for your personality• Dependable• Sees potential of “risks”
BUT there really is no “business training” provided in school
Why Go Into Private Practice?• You are your own boss• You are in control of your career• You get to pick who you want to work with• You set boundaries of when you want to work• You have flexibility over your own schedule• You feel rewarded for hard work• The sky is the limit
So… are there any “cons”?
Of course!!
• YOU are the service• You will work hard• Not a whole lot of consistency• You have to accept that there are ups and downs• Be willing to take risks• Stay on top of media information
Start by Finding Your Passion• Weight concerns• Diabetes• Heart health• Eating disorders• Pediatrics• Food allergies• Cooking and recipes• Clinical nutrition• Oncology• Long-term care• Renal Disease• Food service• Geriatrics• Functional medicine• Media, writing, speaking
• What excites you?• What ignites your energy?• What nutrition topics do you
pay attention to?• What do people ask you
about?
VS.
• What do you dislike?• What do you dread?• What do you have to google
when someone asks you?
Your Passion + Your Community= Potential
Your community will ignite your passion, but also lead to you business!
Where to Start• Start to think about a name for your private practice• Look at website domain names (you don’t have to begin with
this, but it will be important down the road)• Find a mentor (or a few!), a lawyer, and an accountant• Legally file your company• Get business insurance • Get registrations in order: NPI number (for in-network
insurance or as an out of network provider), Tax-ID number, and set up a business bank account
LLC or PLLC vs. Sole Proprietor LLC or PLLC
• Limited Liability Corporation or Professional Limited Liability Corporation• Your business is
separate from your personal liability• File with your state,
draft a business plan, and pay filing fee
Sole Proprietor• Your business is your
personal liability• File a DBA (Doing
Business As) with your county clerk’s office• File a Schedule C for
tax purposes
Your Business Plan• Business Mission• Business Vision• Goals and Objectives• Timeline• Marketing plan• Advertising strategies• “Competition”
Your Office Space• The goal is that your office space should be a reflection of your
business and your brand• When you’re first starting out, you just need a SPACE!• Consider leasing from another professional or company:
therapist, gym, culinary facility, doctor’s office, or spa. Think about your passion!
• Try looking for space on Regus, Craigslist, Loopnet, and make sure you ask around to friends, family, and other professionals.
Set Up Your Office• Schedule: Google Calendar, Cozi, Apple iCal, or paper!• EMR: Practice Fusion, PracticeMate/Office Ally, Simple
Practice, KaiZen, MNT Assistant• Equipment: Desk and chair, laptop and printer, phone, ability
fax?, couch or chairs for clients, handouts, scale, food models, tissues!
• Forms: Assessment and follow-up forms, office policies and procedures, authorization to release information, HIPAA, sample fax cover sheet, superbill or receipt, contracts for consulting work
• What are you going to charge?• Taking payment: Square, Venmo, Paypal, check or cash
Should I Take Insurance?
Pros• Instant marketing for your
business• Your practice will be listed
in insurance directories• Clients usually want to see
clinicians on insurance panels
• Clients can afford to see you more often
• You will see clients of all socioeconomic backgrounds
Cons• More work and (usually) a lot
less money• Insurance will only pay for
certain diagnoses within the ICD-10 coding system
• Sometimes you need a doctor’s referral before you see a client
• It takes time to get on panels, follow-up with claims, and submit audits
• It is a PAIN to get off panels!
How to Set Up Your Practice to Take Insurance• Go back to your passion and think about your ideal clients.
Who are you working with? What diagnoses do you want to see? What ages are you seeing? What plans pay for what you want to see in your practice?
• Make sure to obtain your NPI number, Tax ID number. Some insurances will also ask you about your office location.
• Apply with individual plans through provider relations• Apply with CAQH to get on multiple panels at once• Set up a billing system to help you if you need it. You are
going to need to keep track of bills and reimbursement.• Reimbursement resources through AND
Brand Yourself
Brand Your Business• Remember your passion, your target community, and your
ideal client. What was your business mission?• That mission is going to be reflective in your brand: your
marketing, advertising, website, social media, and how you present yourself to clients and referral resources
• You and your business are here to solve a problem: what’s the solution?
Perfect Your Passion and Skill• Do the best job at what you do, your passion will show• Take courses/CEU’s on nutritional counseling, motivational
interviewing, and speaking. Practice, practice, practice!• Learn from the best by staying up to date in your area of
expertise.
Build a Website• Your website should “talk “to your idea client• Address what problems you solve• Include your office location, phone number, email address• Introduce yourself with a picture• Blog or at least find a way to show clients you are an expert
• Design a site that is user friendly• Artistic color scheme, include pictures, clean fonts, error on
the side of “bigger” font vs. small print.• Make sure your site is mobile-friendly!!
DIY or Hire Out?
Do It Yourself
• In today’s world, many programs exist to help with this!• Some of the best ones
include: Square Space, Wix, 1-and-1, Wordpress, Go Daddy, and Therapy Sites.
Hire Someone to Help You
• It’s much easier to hire help if you really don’t know what you’re doing• Get a referral from a site
that you love• Many website designers
are virtual
Social Media• Facebook• Twitter• Instagram• LinkedIn• Pinterest • Periscope• Snapchat• Tumblr
Paper Marketing• Marketing “handouts” for doctors offices• Flyers• Business cards• Brochures
Bring it back to your practice!
Remember: what problems are you solving?
Advertising
Advertising is “selling” your solutions• Network with others is sometimes the best “advertising”• Online directories leading clients to your website• Find a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (through AND)• Healthgrades• Healthprofs• Dietitian Central
• Email Newsletters • Special Promotions• Writing articles or speaking• Get your elevator speech ready!
Network for Referrals• Network with your community and your target market• Network with other dietitians as referral resources• Network with doctors, therapists, personal trainers, chefs,
authors, speakers, media• Build relationships that are authentic and easy for you
Use Referral Sources• A client usually comes with an entourage, it’s instant
marketing/advertising when you work with a team.• Ask team members their preferred method of communication.
When you “speak their language” you will be speaking directly to them.
• Do not blame doctors for not reading faxes!!
Keep Clients Coming Back• Build your business with clients in your practice NOW• Set expectations of nutrition counseling• Build that relationship with clients• Use motivational interviewing• Yes you have goals as the professional. .. But the client’s
agenda is 110% more important!
Supervision• Supervision: When a professional is supervised by an
established clinician, who reviews their work with clients and offers direction and support.
Find Work/Life Balance• Live your life and practice self-care. This authentically helps
your clients take better care of themselves.• Owning and building a private practice betters your life. You
do not exist just to work!• Mold your practice into your life. Know when to say “no”
because essentially you are saying “yes” to other things.• Know your personality and create your “work” environment
and your “home” environment . Set the boundaries appropriate for you.
• Ask for help when you need it! Know when to expand your practice: hire another professional, an administrative assistant, or “hire” an intern to help you.
What is “success”?• “Success” is subjective. What is success to you?• Work smarter, not harder?• See clients that energize and inspire you?• The ability to determine the direction of your career?• Making a certain amount of money?• Going into more consulting work?• Media work?• Becoming an author?• Speaking at conferences and presentations?
The Sky is the Limit!
Resources• Making Nutrition Your Business: Private Practice and Beyond by Faye Berger
Mitchell and Anne Silver• Welcome to Rebelution: 7 Steps to the Nutrition Counseling of Your Dreams by
Kait Greenberg, Rebecca Blitzer, and Dana Magee • The Entrepreneurial Nutritionist by Kathy King• The Nutrition Entrepreneurs dpg (www.nedpg.org)• RD Entrepreneurs Academy http://rdentrepreneursacademy.com/ • “Selling the Couch” podcast and facebook group
• Pursuing Private Practice: 10 Steps to Start Your Own Business and 10 Steps to Grow Your Own Business www.pursuingprivatepractice.com
Thank you!Jennifer McGurk, RDN, CDN, CDE, [email protected]