When deciding to invest in a clinic, it is necessary to understand the different steps involved in its opening process. In addition, it is important to have a plan. If you are in the field of physiotherapy and still don't know where to start your clinic, today we will help you.
When we talk about planning, it is important to know that there are different strategies to be followed. Here on the blog, you can read a very complete article about planning a successful long-term practice, which is characterized by 4 stages: patient acquisition, service, loyalty, and management. Therefore, these steps concern the office (or clinic) already in operation, but unlike this, in this new article we will comment on how the process of opening your business takes place, that is, how to assemble it and leave it the way you always dreamed of!
Before we continue, we need to ask: Do you already know our system Ninsaúde Apolo for health clinics? The health software Ninsaúde Apolo has an agile and complete schedule, personalized electronic medical records for each specialty, and with legal validity, teleconsultation, financial control, and much more. Schedule a demo or try the Ninsaúde Apolo clinic's software right now!
Planning and Legislation
Before opening a clinic, regardless of your specialty, It is important to pay attention to the market in your region to have a baseline of what your challenges will be and who your competitors are. In some cases, depending on the region you have in mind, opening a new clinic in that location will not always bring good results, as there may not be good demand.
To be sure that the investment in a given location will be worthwhile, it is necessary to take stock of all the necessary inputs in the structure of your clinic, as well as the main services offered, target audience, and location. Having all these points aligned, the first thing to do is to calculate the entire amount that will need to be invested in your business.
At this time, getting the help of an accountant can be essential, as, in addition to helping you choose the best tax regime, he will be able to collaborate with obtaining all the necessary documentation in this initial stage of opening.
Location choice
The location of your clinic can be defined by your target audience, as the easier, it is for them to find you, the more patients you will have. Depending on the region of the country, opening a clinic in the city center is almost always the best option. The city center is also great for those who want to attract patients who use a health plan. In other cases, if private consultation is your focus, choose a location that is close to class A and B residential areas.
Another important tip is to assess the need for another clinic specializing in physiotherapy in that specific region. In this sense, look for areas where few professionals are working in this field, so you will have the preference of patients in this region.
Property structure
When opening a clinic, you can choose to build your property or you can choose to rent (must include the amounts invested in your spending list). Regardless, it is important to assess whether the structure has enough space for everything needed in a physical therapy clinic. In general, an environment dedicated to this activity needs:
- Reception room;
- Attendance rooms;
- Rehabilitation rooms;
- Space for swimming pool and locker room (in case of hydrotherapy);
- Banheiros;
- Kitchen (required for employees to use).
Investment
By putting all the necessary investment at the tip of the pencil, it is important not to leave anything behind. This means that in addition to renting the property (if you don't own it), you need to keep in mind that there will be expenses with:
- Furniture and decoration of the entire environment;
- Lighting;
- Electronic equipment (computers, monitors, etc.);
- Service equipment;
- Medical-hospital material;
- Water and energy;
- Telephone line and internet;
- Management software for clinics;
- Staff salary (which includes hiring a receptionist, secretary, and people responsible for general services, in addition to the physiotherapists themselves).
By the way, if you are still in doubt about hiring someone to help you in the office, We have a very interesting article here to let you know the difference between a secretary and a receptionist. It is worth taking a look!
As you can see, in the list above we also include management software. But after all, what is the purpose of a software in a clinic? Well, using a system can be much more beneficial than you can imagine, because, in addition to assisting in all aspects of clinical management through its functionalities focused on finance, good software is essential for your services to be more personalized and safer, thanks to the use of the electronic medical record.
When hiring a software, it is important to take into account some factors such as security, ease of use, functionalities, the support offered by the contracted company, and its cost benefit. If you still don't use a software, or if you already use it but want to change it, we recommend the system for Ninsaúde Apolo clinics. In addition to being indicated for several specialties and having several tools that help not only in the service but also everywhere in scheduling and finance, The system for clinics Ninsaúde Apolo has several advantages to offer for physiotherapy clinics. Learn more by visiting the Apolo.app website.
TIP: check out our article where we comment on how you can control your patients' physiotherapy sessions with Ninsaúde Apolo!
The main equipment needed for the attendance
Physical therapy equipment is essential for providing quality care. Some of them are found in a wide variety of brands and prices, therefore, it is important to consider not only cost-benefit but also how much you are willing to invest. To better assist you, Below we will list some of the essential equipment and products to have in a physiotherapy clinic.
Routine accessories:
- Walkers;
- Exercise balls;
- Anklets;
- Elastic exercisers;
- Cushions;
- Mattresses;
- Exercise rollers;
- Wedges;
- Elastic Bands and Tubes;
- Hospital screen.
In addition to the accessories mentioned above, do not forget products such as gel, electrodes, paper towels, gloves, caps/shoes, and disposable sheets, among others.
General equipment:
- Stretcher (electric, wooden, portable, tubular, with cabinet, in short, there are different types of stretchers, find out which ones are best suited to your activities).
- Blood pressure measuring device;
- Motorized couch;
- Warming tank for compresses;
- Display cabinet for medicine;
- Accessory cabinet;
- Wooden ladder;
- Hospital bandage car;
- Hospital auxiliary table;
- Hospital armchair;
- X-ray viewer.
There are many specialties in the area of physiotherapy, physiotherapy in osteopathy, chiropractic, oncology, respiratory physiotherapy, intensive, sports, aquatic, cardiovascular, dermatofunctional, and work therapy, among others. For this reason, it is worth remembering that some equipment may only make more sense for certain specialties. Check below some specific equipment for certain types of activities carried out in physiotherapy clinics.
Mechanotherapy Equipment
- Dumbbells;
- Pulley sets;
- Bonnet apparatus;
- Parallel bars
- Finger and hand exerciser;
- inflatable balance disc;
- Tilting board;
- Backrest or Ling bar.
Electrotherapy Equipment
- TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation);
- FES (Functional Electrostimulation);
- Radio-frequency;
- Shortwave devices;
- Laser;
- ultrasound;
Hydrotherapy Equipment
Although Hydrotherapy is usually performed in swimming pools, another piece of equipment is often used in these cases: the tourbillon. In addition to it, other equipment can be used in this technique, namely:
- Cervical traction table;
- Orthostatic table.
Thermotherapy Equipment
- Special towels for warm compresses;
- Paraffin bath;
- Infrared tabletop device;
- Tourbillon for physiotherapy.
We emphasize that the items listed above may not be used by all specialties, there are still some other materials and equipment that may have been left out of the list. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the types of therapy applied in your clinic and what your investment needs will be.
Administration and Marketing
After opening your clinic, it's time to work to reap the rewards. Knowing where and how to capture customers is important, but don't forget that the way you serve them is paramount to your success, after all, only with good service comes loyalty. In addition, carrying out good management becomes the key point to reaping good results.
As we mentioned in this article, using management software is one of the important steps to keep the professionals' agenda organized, as well as the medical records and registration forms of their patients. In addition to basic functionalities that help in scheduling and inserting data in appointments, the system for Ninsaúde Apolo clinics has several tools to monitor and retain your patients, such as:
With the Ninsaúde Apolo management software, you will also be able to control your clinic's stock, as well as organize and monitor your finances through bank reconciliation, cash flow, and income statement, and even generate a commission for your professionals for each service they provide.
So, did you like the tips? Keep following the blog for more content like this. Are you a healthcare professional but still don't use management software? Get to know the system for Ninsaúde Apolo clinics.