How to Start a Wound Care Clinic

Wound care centers provide state-of-the-art wound treatment while attempting to keep treatment costs low. People may prefer wound care clinics over hospitals because the clinics can be more intimate and caring than large, busy hospitals. A wound care business profits from the fees charged for tests, procedures, basic wound care and other related services. According to TodaysWoundClinic.com, more than 800 wound care centers are operating in the U.S., not including wound care provided in private doctors' offices.

Instructions

• 1

  Hire a medical director who can market your wound care center to area physicians, clinics and hospitals. The providers, in turn, can refer their patients to your clinic. Wound care centers rely heavily on referral sources, both from physicians and patients.

• 2

  Establish one or multiple business locations, each with more than one treatment room. Consider opening your care center in a medical business park, near a hospital or a medical school campus.

  Contact your local building department for the applicable zoning laws in your area.

  Learn and follow federal HIPAA privacy guidelines.

  Make arrangements for, and document, housekeeping and how to get rid of hazardous waste and materials. Write this plan down, following through to when the waste will literally leave the building.

  Contact your local state department for information regarding both state and federal regulations in opening a private wound care center. It will provide you with information regarding coding and billing rules dependent on your state's laws.

• 3

  Hire skilled staff. You'll need a variety of staff members, including a physician, nurse practitioner, physical therapist, a licensed practical nurse, a certified nursing assistance and an office administrator or medical director. You may also need a dermatologist, plastic surgeon, general surgeon and an infectious disease specialist.

  You may be able to start with a small staff and expand as your business grows and brings in more revenue. Your business will do best if you hire employees on a full-time basis instead of an as-needed basis. To create a stable environment, you should try to hire not just clinicians but also nurses and therapists who have wound-care experience. Your business will profit the most if you have these specialists on-site instead of via referral.

• 4

  Provide training for your staff. Encourage attendance when wounds are being treated and suggest that they attend related workshops and symposiums. Your medical director will handle any physician or staff issues in an effort to smoothly and profitably run your care center.

• 5

  Stock your business with the necessary equipment and supplies. Each treatment room will need a sink. You should have space for clerical services, a waiting room, storage areas and a utility room. Decide if you want a changing room for patients. The equipment you will need includes litters, wheelchairs, thermometers, needles, surgical gloves, receptacles for dirty linens, trash and hazardous waste, forceps, scissors, tissue nippers. You also will need basic office equipment, such as computers, copiers, phones and fax machines.