The decision to start your own business is an exciting step. We know—we’ve been in your shoes. Before stepping out on your own, however, it’s important to understand how to protect yourself from liability and ensure that you comply with federal and state healthcare laws.
Our Services for New Practice Startups and Businesses
- Advertising Materials and Website Review
- Business Formations (LLC, PLLC, Corporation)
- Data Privacy
- Credentialing
- Contract Drafting, Preparation, and Negotiation
- Corporate Compliance
- Employee and Independent Contractor Agreements
- Employee Handbooks
- Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Compliance
- HIPAA Policies and Procedures
- Informed Consent
- Intake Forms and Registration Packets
- Intellectual Property
- Liability Guidance
- Management Services Agreements
- Marketing Contracts
- Medicare Compliance
- MSO Arrangments
- Real Estate Transactions
- Telemedicine
- Website Terms and Conditions
When is the best time to hire a healthcare attorney?
We recommend that you reach out to us after you have saved up the funds for your launch but before taking action on your plan. While it’s tempting to accept your accountant’s offer to file your LLC documents (which is often inadvisable), launch your website, or enroll with insurers, these steps must occur in a specific order. With our help, this process can be streamlined, exciting, and doable!
One of our first steps will be to discuss whether you should create a corporate entity. Among the many options are a limited liability company (LLC), a professional corporation (PC), various types of partnerships, and a handful of others. The right type of entity for you depends on your business goals, state, and profession.
Creating a corporate entity is much more than filing a simple form with the state; it includes our preparation of the documents that will become your practice’s “constitution” or governing documents, and those will allow you to open a business bank account, maintain corporate formalities, and even set forth a practice succession plan.
If you have a business partner or partners, if you’re purchasing an existing practice, or breaking off your portion of an existing practice in which you’re a partner, we can also help you build a strong and healthy foundation for what’s next.
New Practice Basics
The best time to the legwork of new practice ownership is before you see your first patient. At this stage, we can guide you through:
- Corporate formation
- HIPAA policies and procedures
- Credentialing with Medicare, Medicaid, and/or private insurance companies
- New patient registration policies (“intake forms”) addressing things like payment, treating minors, mandatory reporting, and informed consent
Depending on your specific practice, it’s also a good time to tackle:
- Website terms and conditions
- Medicare and healthcare fraud, waste, and abuse compliance
- Employee or independent contractor agreements
- Workplace compliance policies (your employee handbook)
Healthcare Compliance Help Is Here!
As a new practice or healthcare-related business owner, you’ll need to get up-to-speed quick on healthcare regulations and laws. Just a few of these include:
- Determine how you will comply with federal HIPAA requirements, your state’s medical privacy laws, and your profession’s ethical requirements regarding privacy. Ensure you have legally compliant policies and procedures in place—that you’re actually following—to be sure you can handle a government audit.
- Understand the requirements of your insurance contracts and billing procedures. Be sure your records and billing comply with those requirements.
- Telemedicine has changed rapidly since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ll help you navigate issues such as billing, practice standards, privacy, and establishing new patient relationships via telehealth.
Build a Team of Advisors
Do you need an accountant? An insurance broker? Someone to design your business logo? We work with a fantastic network that shares our vision. Ask us if we know professionals in your area who can help move your healthcare practice forward. If we have a recommendation, we will happily provide it. We don’t pay or accept payment for referrals—we’re interested only in helping you succeed.
