Getting started in senior caregiving.

suzanne4, RN · Feb 21, 2004

There are many, many issues that you need to take into account before starting. You would need to incorporate or set a LLP. You need malpractice insurance for yourself and any employees. You need Liability Insurance for the business. You need Workman's Comp. set up for your business. You need to find out what the licensing requirements are for your state. I am not sure what California requirements are but you may be required to hire an RN as case manager, etc. Requirements differ in each state. I would check with your state board first. Are you going to be able to get enough private pay patients to allow you to hire other staff? You may not want to accept Medi-Cal but what about other insurance such as Blue Cross or Kaiser? If you plan on doing that, you will need to get your firm accepted by them. You cannot just submit a bill to them and expect to be paid if you aren't one of their approved providers.

Good luck

sarahr5 · Feb 21, 2004

Thanks Suzanne for the reply,

I forgot to mention I wanted to start a non-medical agency. Anyone know where I can find different forms or contract samples. Thanks

suzanne4, RN · Feb 22, 2004

You are planning on taking care of seniors? Assisting them with ADL's etc?

In almost every state now, whether you are providing medical or non-medical care, you must be licensed and approved by the state. This is due to many unscrupulous people in the past. Same way that child-care facilities need to be licensed. Unfortunately, some do not get a license, and if something goes wrong, the state hangs them out to dry. Do not even worry about contracts or anything like that at this point.

Find out what the exact requirements for your state are. You can contact your government offices. Do they require that you put up a surety bond?

Are you going to have patients/clients live with you or what type of services are you planning to offer? Check into find out what the prices of insurance are for what you want to do. Are you able to get a loan from the bank? Or have at least six months of expenses available for you to use? These expenses include salaries for your staff, and their insurance, etc. I think the other suggestion I would make is to sit down with an accountant that handles businesses like this routinely and let them tell you about all of the expenses that you need to consider. Even if you are a non-medical entity, many people now purchase long term care insurance, so again you would need to be on the insurance roster as approved. It may take you a year or so to get through all of the red tape. Are you prepared for that?

Sorry to sound so negative, but many are not properly prepared and they go out of business because things were not thought through.

Do you have a business plan drawn up? Once you find out that you can get government approval, do not go any further before that and do it for 5 years to be realistic.

Good luck.......................