The 7 pitfalls of setting up a medical practice and how Zento can help you avoid them
Author: Ben Dudley
Date: August 2, 2023
How Zento provides tailored solutions to common pitfalls
Ben Dudley
Founder Zento
#1 Not having a clear business strategy
Pitfall 1:
Diving headfirst into private practice without a clear business strategy can lead to financial turmoil, operational inefficiencies, and patient dissatisfaction.
Zento’s team of experts can help with a structured business plan, offering insights into market analysis, financial projections, and strategic positioning. By working closely with anaesthetists, surgeons and physicians Zento has a wealth of experience and can help
outline clear objectives,
offer insights into market analysis,
draft a business plan that is both realistic and tailored to your specific needs and goals.
#2 Misjudging setup costs and financial demands
Underestimating setup costs or not having sufficient capital to sustain the practice during initial lean months can put undue strain on your new practice.
Zento has a great understanding of medical practice set up costs, as well as a deep knowledge of the private health sector in general, including private health insurance. Zento is well-connected and has an extensive network of finance professionals.
Taking all of this expertise into account, Zento can help you with
providing accurate cost analysis,
ensuring your practice remains financially healthy.
#3 Lack of branding and no marketing strategy
A great medical service with poor visibility will struggle to attract patients. You may be an excellent doctor, with decades of experience in the public sector. However, when setting up a medical practice, you need to make sure that your potential patients know about your services.
Zento can help build a robust online presence, create branding materials, and craft effective marketing strategies to put your medical practice on the map. From designing a user-friendly website to optimising it for search engines, creating engaging social media campaigns, and crafting a unique brand identity, Zento understands that your practice needs to stand out in the crowded medical market.
#4 Overlooking legal and regulatory requirements
Setting up a medical practice is not just about providing medical services. It’s bound by a web of legal and regulatory requirements that ensure the safety and rights of both patients and practitioners.
Zento ensures you’re always in compliance by keeping you updated on regulatory changes and assisting with the necessary paperwork. Whether it’s about securing the right insurance, understanding the specific guidelines set by bodies like AHPRA, or ensuring that promotional activities are in line with advertising regulations, Zento’s expertise acts as a safeguard against potential legal pitfalls.
#5 Failing to adapt to new technology
Not leveraging modern healthcare technologies can lead to inefficiencies and a below average patient experience.
Zento’s solution:
Zento can guide your private practice in adopting the latest tech trends, from telehealth services to advanced patient management systems, ensuring your practice is at the forefront of healthcare innovation. Using the best medical practice management software, Zento ensures seamless operations for your clinic. For our anaesthetic clients, Zento has developed the Zentobox application, offering outsourced medical billing solutions that make anaesthetic billing a breeze.
#6 Underestimating the emotional and physical demands of starting a practice
The demands of setting up a practice can be overwhelming, leading to stress and burnout.
Zento’s solution:
By offloading many of the administrative, financial, and operational challenges to Zento, practitioners can focus on patient care and self-care, ensuring a balanced professional life.
#7 Neglecting the patient experience
In the drive to set up and run a medical practice, professionals sometimes focus intensely on clinical excellence but may inadvertently sideline the holistic patient experience. This includes factors like wait times, the ambiance of the waiting and consultation rooms, clarity in communication, and the post-consultation follow-up process.
Zento’s on-site as well as virtual receptionists understand the importance of the patient experience, from the initial greeting to addressing feedback and providing them with all the information they need. Zento’s professionals are skilled in using intuitive patient interfaces, from easy online booking systems to prompt follow-up mechanisms. Beyond individual services, Zento integrates every aspect into a holistic practice management system, tailored for the unique needs of your clinic.
Private practice support with Zento
Zento offers comprehensive medical practice management services. It’s more than just a service; it’s a partnership. We bridge the gap between your medical expertise and the complex world of business. That is how we ensure that your practice doesn’t just survive, but thrives.
Don’t let avoidable pitfalls scatter your dream of a successful private practice. Contact Zento today, and let’s co-create a future where your practice shines.
Contact us today!
Join our group of independent specialists and physicians
“Zento is an outstanding practice management and billing service that set up my private practice as a new consultant a few years ago and the whole process couldn’t be easier for me!
Their billing system is simple, quick and transparent and their fees are amongst the lowest. They also help my practice by sending out patient questionnaires, facilitating my CPD and organising social events, just to mention a few!
I highly recommend their services to anyone in the medical field seeking guidance and support in launching a successful private practice or looking to streamline their billing process to save time and money.”
Mahsa Mirkazemi
“I had expanded my private practice and was paying a secretary to do my billing, but was still dealing with the hassle of incorrect bills and phone calls from patients. I decided I needed to take myself out of the equation completely, and found out about Zento from colleagues. Since then it has been smooth sailing, with Zento taking care of all my admin, and quickly and easily dealing with any billing problems. As a result, very little of my time is spent on admin now.”
Brian Morrow, Anaesthetist
“I found billing a nightmare – so much so that it was stopping me from doing private work. I heard that Zento provided a solution, and it revolutionised everything. The setup process was very straightforward, and now, they do all my admin – sending off the bills, checking they’ve been paid, chasing unpaid bills. I’m very happy with the service, and I would definitely recommend them to another anaesthetist.”
Helen Daly, Anaesthetist
“Coming from Europe, I was unfamiliar with the process of billing patients when I set up my private practice in Australia. Zento knew what they were doing when I came on board, and made the preparation of the paperwork a smooth experience. Now, I can tell patients that fees will be dealt with by another party, leaving my relationship with them positive. So many things have been taken off my plate, and if I don’t have to spend time preparing invoices, I’m happy!”
Thomas Ledowski, Anaesthetist
“I avoided private work because I was uncomfortable with gaining informed financial consent and didn’t have the mechanism to be able to charge a gap. I didn’t want to have the ‘money’ conversation with my patients, but when the opportunity to work with a private surgeon arose, I had to figure out a solution. After speaking with Ben, I knew Zento was the right service to fix my problems. Now I spend less than 30 minutes a month on financial admin for my private work, and talking about money with my patients is seldom required.”
Perth-based Anaesthetist
“Since I joined Zento I have been able to focus on what I’m good at which is giving anaesthetics rather than billing, chasing up bad debts, providing quotes. I was terrible at it! Ben’s team has always been very helpful and professional. Service fees have decreased! I’m very happy.”
Leah , Anaesthetist
“Has made my anaesthetic billing a breeze. Quick, reliable, efficient and highly transparent. My only regret is that I didn’t change to Zento years ago.”
Steve, Anaesthetist
“When commencing private practice there was a large learning curve in terms of the various health funds and their differences in terms of billing and rebates. Zento took away all of the stress associated with this so I could focus purely on caring for my patients. In addition, they took responsibility for other key issues such as provider numbers and accreditation at the various hospitals I wanted to work at.”
Nolan McDonnell, Anaesthetist
“They are professional, efficient and take a huge administrative burden off.”
Perth-based anaesthetist
“Zento helps me concentrate on my core job: looking after patients.”
Perth-based anaesthetist
“Huge burden lifted from my shoulders. Zento takes all of the admin load.”
Perth-based anaesthetist
“Since using their service I am consistently impressed by the level of service and attention to detail offered by the Zento team.
Knowing that my administration, reception and PA services are taken care of allows me to focus on my patients, my clinical activities and building up my practice.”
Perth-based cardiologist
“As a new Fellow I had no experience in how a practice is run let alone set up and I wanted to start my own practice. The Zento group have taken my idea and made it a reality. They are available, and thorough. They take time to understand what you need and work with you to achieve those goals realistically and practically. I am especially impressed by how they work hard at facilitating my vision for my practice.”
Perth-based obstetrician and gynaecologist