Published Jan 10, 2011
DavinaRN
1 Post
As someone currently working in Home Health and increasingly frustrated with regulations that prevent me from giving care that patients deserve, I'm interested in what kind of business an RN could manage independently.
Ideally, what I'd love to do is this:
Go to client's homes.
If they need help with managing meds, then I'd help with that. (Setting up pill boxes, reminders, compliance, looking for interactions and adverse effects, etc)
Educate on chronic illnesses, health promotion, and illness prevention
Can y'all help point me to resources to find out the legality of this? I've looked at my state's nursing act, but it's so hard to translate that into what I can do on my own.
I wouldn't be interested, at least at first, in billing insurance companies. I'd really only want to do private pay. But then it seems that SOMEONE would be regulating me. If it's not Medicare/Medicaid/CMS, who is it?
Thanks for direction. I've been trying to do web searches and am just not using the right words to find stuff. This forum has been inspirational! And I'm probably looking at the wrong threads, but the most relevant replies I'm seeing to what I want are several years old.
Thanks again and sorry for being wordy,
-Davina.
Jovigal
3 Posts
I am in currently working on becoming a certified foot nurse & building my own company. Wondered how things are going with you & your pursuits. The board of nursing websites are crazy to interpret. I sent them an Email with my bussiness idea & they phoned me a week to discuss. They said they didn't see any problems with my bussiness idea but I am sure once I get it going they will be at my doorstep.
innovativemurse
61 Posts
Essentially, you're considered an independent nurse consultant or in some cases or states, you may be considered a private duty nurse.
Does your board of nursing prohibit you from practicing independently as long as you are practicing within your scope? The above mentioned scenarios should fall within your scope. They do in my state, and I'm independent. I've incorporated my business, but I am not a home health agency, and I don't even touch medical billing/insurance reimbursement.
I've been doing this for >3years successfully.
From what I understand I can do this on my own. I am going for it & we'll see what comes of it. I have a lot of good physicians who think this is a great idea as well & I have a great support sysytem. I have a lawyer reviewing everything also. I am excited but busier than ever just in getting everything ready. For anybody who wants to start thier own business I have to say it has to be your passion because so much more goes into it than anybody could ever imagine. So what type of business did you end up starting up?
Pooksmom1996
54 Posts
I too will be leaving my home health job and exploring the same type of options, Davina! A couple of sources I found during a quick search"
Check out the Nurse-Entrpreneur network. You can join for 15 bucks and get an hour of counseling(I have not done that yet) The site owner lives in Minnesota. You can also try googling independent RN entrpreneur and get some hits. May I ask if you are in Minnesota also? If so, we could learn the rules together!
wednesdaynight
Hi I just started brainstorming on what to do now. I want to start out as my own private duty RN. I need help! What should I do first? I know I will need an LLC, insurance. do I need to be bonded? How do I market? I am currently a home health nurse and love my job. I want to do more for my patients, like help with social worker stuff, assist in filling out paperwork, etc. I won't do medical billing either, also, I live in Charlotte NC and don't have a clue on how much to charge a patient. I would be greatful if you could give me some advise. Thanks in advance, hoping to hear from you. Marcene.
xenogenetic
272 Posts
Just do some research on the entity that you choose to do business in. Sometimes incorporating or forming an LLC might have some potential drawbacks.
For example, did you know that if you form a corporation or LLC then many of your rights as an individual are waived because you are then simply an "employee" of the LLC? If they deem necessary, the IRS can go to your place of business (and if you list your home address as your headquarters, guess what, you're locked out of your home!) and order all employees to leave, put a padlock on the front door and sift through all your records, files, etc and confiscate it as evidence for its case against you.
Also, if you are the only person in your LLC and you're a nurse and personally hurt a patient you'll have a lawsuit file against you, personally (because you're the one that committed the act), as well as a lawsuit filed against the LLC. It's the common practice of "Sue everyone involved...see who shakes out with the money." As if having one suit filed against you isn't bad enough, you'll have lawyer fees to pay for representing you personally, as well as separate lawyer fees to represent your LLC because it's considered a totally different entity.
tewdles, RN
3,156 Posts
Professional nursing case management...
I believe that these type of businesses will help to improve health outcomes in the USA...
onyx33us
27 Posts
hello, if you don't mind can you share your kind of business with me because Im interested in opening a business. Thou I don't know your location, Im from texas. If possible, my email is [email protected]
thanks in advance.
NedRN
1 Article; 5,782 Posts
Just do some research on the entity that you choose to do business in. Sometimes incorporating or forming an LLC might have some potential drawbacks. For example, did you know that if you form a corporation or LLC then many of your rights as an individual are waived because you are then simply an "employee" of the LLC? If they deem necessary, the IRS can go to your place of business (and if you list your home address as your headquarters, guess what, you're locked out of your home!) and order all employees to leave, put a padlock on the front door and sift through all your records, files, etc and confiscate it as evidence for its case against you. Also, if you are the only person in your LLC and you're a nurse and personally hurt a patient you'll have a lawsuit file against you, personally (because you're the one that committed the act), as well as a lawsuit filed against the LLC. It's the common practice of "Sue everyone involved...see who shakes out with the money." As if having one suit filed against you isn't bad enough, you'll have lawyer fees to pay for representing you personally, as well as separate lawyer fees to represent your LLC because it's considered a totally different entity.
Pretty wild post! I have no idea of what you mean by giving up your "rights" as an employee of an LLC. You don't.
Limited liability entities do nothing to protect professionals who are the sole owners. You need malpractice insurance for that. Having a corporate shell would only protect you personally against the acts of other employees generally (unless you had prior knowledge or assent of their damaging acts), or if you have a place of business - someone having an accident on your premises such as slipping on ice. The reason for professionals with a sole practice to incorporate is only about taxes, not about protecting personal assets. The benefits of forming an LLC or corporation far outweigh the drawback of increased paperwork (annual meeting for corporations, and extra tax returns for all).
If the IRS mounts a criminal investigation against you (the only way that they can "lock you out"), you are in deep and it makes no difference if you don't have an LLC.
somenurse
470 Posts
To NedRN, (or anyone else reading along) Do you think that a sole employee (self) benefit from having an LLC? If no other employees are involved, just the 1 nurse?
Also, do you, or anyone else readling along, think a sole nurse doing private duty would need to be 'bonded'?
Also, do you carry both malpractice AND Liability Insurance? (i'm not real adept at what exactly the difference is, honestly..)
Did you incorporate for a tax break,
or
do you just have checks, payments made out to your personal name?
do many of you doing this have a website, if so, which sites do you use to create one?