A brief guide to setting up in private practice
01 Jun 2022
Business planning
Business structure
Financing and insurances*
Location – demographics, nearby colleagues or referrers, nearby competitors, patient/staff access, disability access, optimal layout, buy or lease
Equipment and supplies
Accreditations and licensing
IT system and support – software, hardware, phones, backup, telehealth, cybersecurity
Marketing and advertising, including websites and social media
Advice from a business adviser, accountant, financial adviser, lawyer and/or practice manager, preferably with experience in the medical field.
Business – government guides
See the Starting a business checklist from business.gov.au which has detailed information on key steps and a downloadable checklist.
Each state or territory has specific information on starting a business:
ACT canberra.com.au/business/set-up/start-a-business
NSW nsw.gov.au/topics/starting-a-business
NT nt.gov.au/industry/start-a-business
QLD business.qld.gov.au/starting-business
SA business.sa.gov.au/services/start-a-business
TAS business.tas.gov.au/starting
VIC business.vic.gov.au/business-information/start-a-business
WA smallbusiness.wa.gov.au/starting-and-growing/8-steps-to-starting-a-business
Private practice – College guides
RACGP
General Practice Business Toolkit
RACS
RANZCP
A guide to private psychiatric practice
Patient information systems and processes
Medical records
Appointment system
Follow-up of tests and referrals
New patient registration
Telehealth Consent forms
Complaints handling
Clinical procedures
Infection control
Medication storage
Emergency equipment
Billing
Medicare billing requires a location-specific provider number — apply via Services Australia or PRODA/HPOS account
Compliance with item descriptors and explanatory notes in the MBS
Invoicing and records for tax purposes
Informing patients about costs upfront – see the AMA’s Informed financial consent
Staff
Clinical and non-clinical staff:
- Recruitment, screening (e.g., Working with Children checks), employment contracts and position descriptions
- Training and performance management
- Superannuation and taxation
- Clinical supervision
Obligations as an employer:
- AMA Guide to employment law for medical practices
- FairWork resources for federal workplace laws and the Fair Work Act
- State-based regulation of Work Health and Safety:
- WorkSafe ACT
- SafeWork NSW
- NT WorkSafe
- WorkSafe Qld
- SafeWork SA
- WorkSafe Tasmania
- WorkSafe Victoria
- WorkSafe WA
Privacy
By law a medical practice must have a privacy policy:
If using cloud backup or storage, it’s easiest to meet Australian privacy law requirements if the server is in Australia
Confidentiality agreements for staff — see:
- OAIC Guide to health privacy
- ADHA Information security guide for small healthcare businesses
- ADHA Cyber security
- MDA National Privacy know-how
- MDA National Email and texts to patients
Advertising
Advertising, including a website or social media presence, must comply with Ahpra’s Guidelines for advertising aregulated health service
Advertising therapeutic goods or medicines must comply with the TGA’s advertising regulations
Direct marketing to patients requires their specific consent (under privacy law; APP7)
*MDA National offers practice indemnity policies to cover claims against the practice or an employee of the practice, for matters such as privacy breaches, loss of
documents, intellectual property disputes and more.
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