How to set up a vaccination clinic?

As with other types of clinics, to open a vaccination clinic it is necessary to follow a series of requirements. In addition to the financial investment and norms for legalization, having a specialized manager for the business is also necessary. If you are interested in opening a vaccine clinic but still don't know where to start, today we will help you.

When deciding to invest in a vaccine clinic, it is necessary to understand the different stages involved in its opening process, which includes a primordial step: planning. When we talk about planning, it is important to know that there are different strategies to be followed. To stay on top of the subject, you can read a very complete article here on Apolo's blog about planning a successful long-term practice.

After planning, it's time to put everything into practice to finally open your practice. So that there are no doubts during the execution, in this article we will comment on how the process of opening your business takes place and how to set up a vaccine clinic safely and correctly.

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!

Authorization and management

Each jurisdiction has its registration requirements for organizations that want to host a vaccine clinic. You can check the CDC’s considerations for hosting an on-site or off-site vaccine clinic.

A manager or person in charge will coordinate and guarantee the quality of the services provided by the establishment, supervise the conduct of team members, implement and update the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), and represent the establishment before supervisory bodies, among others.

Planning and Legislation

Before opening a clinic, regardless of your specialty, it is important to pay attention to the market in your region, which makes it possible to have a basis of what your challenges will be and who your competitors will be. 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 worth it, it is necessary to take stock of all the necessary inputs in the structure of your vaccine clinic, 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.

It is good to remember that healthcare professionals are required by law to record certain information in a patient’s medical record even for a vaccine. This record can be in electronic or paper form. Because personal vaccination records or forms can vary between states, you need to contact your state or local immunization program for more details.

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 human vaccination in that specific region. In this sense, look for areas where there are few establishments in this field operating, so you will have the preference of people in that region.

Structure of the property and Investment

When opening a vaccine 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 vaccine clinic, the minimum requirements are:

• The reception area is sized according to demand and separated from the vaccination room;
• Restrooms;
• Room for administrative affairs;
• Vaccination room.

The vaccination room is the main place where the clinic's activities will take place, so it must have:

• Wash sink;
• Tables and chairs;
• Bench;
• Litter;
• Thermal box with easy cleaning;
• Refrigeration equipment regularized before Anvisa, exclusive for the storage and conservation of vaccines, with a moment thermometer with maximum and minimum;
• A place to store materials for the administration of vaccines;
• Containers for the disposal of sharps and biological waste;
• Momentum thermometer, with maximum and minimum, with extension cables for the thermal boxes.

Taking into account all the items mentioned above, it is essential to remember that the vaccination room in your clinic must have smooth, washable floors and walls, to avoid contamination. In addition, having an outlet for each piece of equipment is essential, as well as an air-conditioned environment with good ventilation and adequate lighting to carry out tasks.

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, performing good management becomes the key point in obtaining good results, and using management software is one of the important steps to make this possible.

By using a system for clinics such as Ninsaúde Apolo, your vaccine clinic will have more organized appointments and you will also be able to use the software for other functions. In addition to basic functionalities that help in scheduling and entering data in appointments, the system for Ninsaúde Apolo clinics has several tools to monitor and retain your patients, such as:

• Funnel CRM;
• Prospect reports;
• E-mail Marketing;
• Satisfaction surveys, among others.

We know that a vaccine clinic needs to store a lot of supplies, so it is essential to use a system capable of maintaining stock control. In addition, with the Ninsaúde Apolo management software, you will also be able to organize and monitor your finances through:

• Bank reconciliation;
• Cash flow and income statement.

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.