Pursuing Private Practice: Start, Grow, and Succeed! Jennifer

Pursuing Private Practice: Start, Grow, and Succeed! Jennifer McGurk, RDN, CDN, CDE, CEDRD Owner of Eat With Knowledge Author 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 Cons 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 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, CEDRD [email protected] 845-535-9092