Anyone started an unskilled, private pay home health agency/service/business?

Nurses Entrepreneurs

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Hello all,

I have been reading a lot on these boards lately about nurses wanting to start their own home health agencies. I am an LVN, and am interested in starting a home care agency that offers unskilled services (personal caregivers, companion services, errands, meal prep, med reminders, light cleaning, ADL's, etc.) I've been reading about how long the process would take if I included medicaid/medicare, as opposed to simply private pay. Was wondering if anyone has started this type of service/agency and how the process of starting up went, and how the biz is going so far.

Again, I don't want to offer skilled services, so I think, as an LVN, I would be able to do this. Not sure how much funding would be needed for something like this either. I know if I got medicaid/medicare involved, I'd have to wait for them to come out and approve of me, and I'd have to have so much money in the bank to show for it, etc. Anyways, really curious as to whether anyone has pursued this or if this is even feasible. Just trying to think outside the box. :)

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......anyone? :confused:

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Im searching for the same information, no luck yet. As soon as i

find something i will let you know...good luck!!!

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Specializes in Home Health Care.

I just bought into a Home Health Care Franchise as non skilled at this time. All in all, I think you are looking to start with about $125,000 to get started through the first year. The banks, and SBA are being very tight at this time with lending, as there is no collateral in a home health agency. Just lots of blue sky.

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tanzanite[color=#1750ff]

[color=#1750ff]are you referring to seniors helping seniors? looks like a good franchise. with the baby boomers getting ready to retire, i thought it would be something great to get into... don't have the kind of cash liquid or in assets the company requires though. how were you able to come up with the financing if you don't mind me asking

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I couldn't loggin under Tanzanite, so I got frustrated and created a new user profile.

Anyway, I went with Interim HealthCare. Lots of support and training! I understand about the cash and liquid assets. I am fortunate enough that my husband and I own two other companies (not in health field). Financing is difficult for this kind of business, because there are no hard assets.

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I don't see why you couldn't just start a company and slowly build up business, especially if you are just offering light skills. I think it would be of critical importance to have adequate insurance. Otherwise, create a name and some sort of logo, prepare a website (there are lots of free tools out there to make this easy), create some fliers, get the word out to local doctor's offices, and slowly work your way to an income. Start out taking private pay, as you grow you can worry about incorporating and accepting insurance etc. Is there something I'm missing with this?

~Heather

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Thanks for the input. I would think insurance would be a biggie. Also, as an LVN would I need to practice under a specific RN? And also, as a nurse doing non-nursing duties, would that still put me at risk if something WERE to happen to the client? (I would think so, hence the insurance). But yeah, long term it would be nice to have a company w/ a few people under my care that I could provide with non-nursing related care and/or hire people to do so as well.

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Specializes in ER/SICU/Med-Surg/Ortho/Trauma/Flight.

Well u got ur Rn, even though I work at hospital, I and alot of friends have been doing this on the side, we have been taking care of alot of older people.

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Specializes in Gerontology/Home Health CM, OB, ICU, MS.

Here in California, there is a real distinction between "Home Health" and "Home Care.

Anyone can open a Home Care agency. All you need is a business license. If you want to be "Home Health", you have to comply with regulations that try to ensure that you have certain quality standards.

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I am currently residing in TN and have found similiar information regarding differences in home health and home care. Although, the rules and regulations seem too much for me to delve into for providing home health at this time I am having a very hard time determining whether or not I need to get a business license to perform non-medical in home care. If anyone has any clarification on this please let me know!

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Specializes in Gerontology/Home Health CM, OB, ICU, MS.

On the ground, ISTM that it all depends on the state you're in. Trying to navigate California's website is truly daunting; If TN's website is anything like that, best wishes to you :confused:

I think the best way always is to get your information from real people, which is what you're trying to do here.

The regs, on the whole, just cannnot keep up with the fast-changing world, but when you're in business, you have to be involved in that world, (or be in a legal gray area).

(For this sort of discussion - which I think could be the most important service a site like this offers), I would like to see more ability on AllNurses, to talk about state-specific regulation.

This site is great, & I would like to suggest a growth opportunity in having business startup discussions divided by state (I know there is a "California nurses" site, but few specific threads on business startups, and the Byzantine world of regulations around nursing businesses might generate very productive discussions. Just a thought

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