Considerations in Opening a Bariatric Practice

The rising obesity rate of the American population is a growing concern in the medical profession. With one-third of U.S. citizens considered to be obese, it is easy to see the threat that it poses today. The treatment of the problem is a growing specialty among surgeons throughout the United States. A doctor trying to decide to open a bariatric practice has to consider several factors before opening the office.

Location

• The size of the city in which the physician plans to open medical clinic is important. A successful office would be difficult to build in a small rural town. The location should be large enough in population to provide enough potential patients to make the office financially successful.

Need

• A physician who is opening a bariatric office should take note of the number of other physicians offering similar services. If several providers offer the same procedures in the same locale, the number of potential customers is lower per clinic.

Facilities

• The availability of hospital facilities in the clinic's city is of great importance. The quality of the operating rooms of the hospitals is a serious concern of any surgeon, and a sufficient quantity of operating rooms is required to make scheduling of procedures easy.

Staff

• The staff of the office should be competent and professional. A doctor should take into account the availability of trained personnel to operate the practice. The staff is important to the care given to the patient. A patient who has been taken care by a superb staff is a great advertisement for the office.

Cost

• Cost is the ultimate factor. It is a factor within each of the previous mentioned areas of concern. The cost of the location can be a determining factor as to where the office will be located. Prime real estate with the proper zoning can be expensive. Medical support staff within the office demands some of the highest wages in the work force of the United States. The cost of employees in practice who are not medically related such as billing, insurance and receptionists must be factored into any decision to open a new office.