PICC bu$ine$$ info dump

Bob, I am also trying to find out what other companies are charging but am having a hard time. I will email back soon with pricing that I have found so far in my extensive searches.

Liz Holowasko BSN, RN, CRNI

Although I did not run my own compoany I was an independent contractor for over 15 years and worked closely with my bosses who started up the PICC companies. It is not as easy as you think.. First of all, you have to have your supplies ahead of time. Before you earn your first paycheck, you will owe the supply companies hundreds if not thousands of dollars. You need to be licensed and permitted by your local governing agencies and you neeed to have malpractice insurance which depending on your state can be very costly. Second, forget about having a life. You will be on call all day every day. It would be nice of you could put in 5 PICCs from 9am to 3pm and be done, but it don't work that way. Typically whoever wants a PICC wants it NOW, but you can only be in one place at a time. If you can't provide immediate service, they will call someone else, or send the patient somewhere else. There is the wear and tear on your car as you spend your lilfe driving from one place to another all day long. A lot of people who start their own companies will hire a sub (such as I was) so that they can increase coverage and pick up more business. The business owner has to be willing to work with negative cash flow until they start turning a profit, but the subs need to b e paid regularly like normal people. my old boss was repaying loans she took out to start the PICC business for YEARS, probably still paying them. Also reimbusement can take months and usu does. Insurances have to be billed, and you will have to wait in line with everyone else for the reimbusement. Also you have a lot of competition out there with the bigger companies that are trying to provide this service i,e, pharmacies. The trouble with all these companies, (and almost anything medially related) is new companies come and go like the weather, old companies merge, get bought out, reinvent themselves, whatever. You may sign with one company, then they lose a big contract, and you have no work. I is actually easier to be an indepenent contractor than to start your own business. But let me reiterate, the moeny is great ONLY if you are willing to be on call ALL THE TIME. If they call you and you won't do it , they will call someone else. Ultimately they will call the one that says YES the most often. I had days where I placed no lines or one line. You never know what your schedule is one moment to the next. I did it. I loved it. I got completely burned out. But do not think for one moment it is easy money.

I too am starting a PICC line business and my area and would love to trade information and research. I'm very serious about this and would love any feed back from other nurse entrpremeurs out there doing the same.