Medical clinic startup checklist

Model

• Write the scope of practice and the patient population.
• List services that happen in the clinic and services that are referred out.
• Decide how many physicians need to be on site at the same time. That number drives rooms.
• List the non-physician roles required on opening day, and the roles that can wait.
• Say whether this is a family practice or a specialist clinic, and do not design a hybrid by accident.

Money

• List the cost categories without borrowing someone else's total.
• Separate one-time costs from monthly costs.
• Identify cash needed before billings stabilize.
• Decide what you will not spend before the lease is signed.

Site and lease

• Write the room list before you tour.
• Tour with the room list, not only with a broker's plan.
• Have a lawyer read the offer and the lease. The questions we work through with you are on lease mistakes.
• Confirm fixturing period, restoration, HVAC, signage, parking, exclusivity, and assignment.

Build

• Mark landlord work versus your work.
• Put permits, long-lead equipment, and inspections on one sequence.
• Keep a decision log so field changes do not redesign the clinic in the hallway.

Systems, licensing, and people

• Shortlist the EMR against the workflow, not against a slogan. See EMR and licensing.
• Start college registration and billing enrolment early enough that opening does not depend on a last-week surprise. Do not leave them until the week you want to see patients.
• Hire to the opening model. A full future team before patients arrive is a fixed cost you may not cover.
• Write what each role does on day one, including who owns patient communication.

Launch

• Set a first-week schedule that is lighter than a mature week.
• Decide how the team will record what broke.
• Pick a point after opening to review workflow, once you have real clinics behind you rather than a guess.

If you want the list turned into a plan for a specific site, book a free consultation.