Flourish
Practice Building for Psychiatrists
We help you build a psychiatry private practice that is good for you, your patients, and your community.
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About
Flourish Practice Building for Psychiatrists
Deciding to take the leap and start your own psychiatry practice can be stressful and feel actually pretty terrifying. It's normal to have strong feelings of imposter syndrome and discomfort with going "against the grain". As a fellow psychiatrist, I have been there and I want to help you build your dream psychiatry practice. Know that it IS possible to create a practice that aligns with your values and priorities. I am here to empower, educate, and support you on this journey.
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Feeling burned out from the grind of healthcare and not sure what to do? Ready to create a position that works around your life that brings you the joy you've been missing in medicine? Let's start.
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Dr. Erica Burger, DO MPH
Private Practice Psychiatrist + Founder of Driftless Integrative Psychiatry

How to Start a Psychiatry Private Practice Checklist
Start saving now
Startup costs aren’t that much in psychiatry in comparison to other specialties but it helps to have some cushion so you won’t feel like you have to see every patient who reaches out.
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Workspace
It might make sense to start your practice from home to keep your overhead low. Keeping your overhead low will save you a lot of stress. You can consider an office space and the best cost-saving option would be subletting from a therapy clinic.
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Apply for medical licenses
Start this at least 5 months before you intend to start seeing patients. Make sure you have a license in each state you want to see patients in, if you are thinking tele.
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Apply for your LLC and EIN
Your EIN number is free through the IRS and takes seconds to obtain. You need an EIN before you can open a business bank account. Despite what companies tell you, it is pretty easy to complete your own LLC application through your state's website.
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Open banking accounts
An EIN is needed before you can open your business accounts and its best to get these accounts opened before you start making too many business expenses from your personal account.
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Malpractice insurance
Get quotes from at least a couple different companies and make sure they cover telepsychiatry (if you are doing that) and the states that you will be licensed in.
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Find the best EMR for your practice
This will depend on what type of practice you are building. Do you want to prioritize cost? Or integration (being able to bill/schedule/prescribe/lab all in the same system)? Is your clinic procedural based?
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Professional photos
If there are portrait-style photos you have of yourself already, use those. You can always get them done professionally later.
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Start a website
It doesn't have to be perfect! Wix and Squarespace are intuitive and don't require you to know coding. You can also hire someone to build your site.
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Pick or create a logo
Determine what you want your brand to look like - what emotions do you want people to experience when they look at your brand?
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Start networking
Who would be interested in referring patients to you? Brainstorm and be creative! Cash only? Look for other practitioners who work outside of insurance as well.
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Consent and policy forms
APA offers free templates and some EMRs do too. Don't use other clinicians' forms unless you have permission and with all forms, have a lawyer review them.
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Ready to come up with a personalized plan? That is what Flourish Practice Building for Psychiatrists does! Book a 15 min call to learn how we can help you
What We Help With:
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Strategies for starting a private practice on a low budget
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Narrowing down on your niche, goals, and values
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Successfully adding ketamine assisted psychotherapy to your practice with integrity and safety at the forefront
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Effective marketing for psychiatry private practices
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How to attract your ideal patients
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Logistics: EHRs, how-tos, optimizing flow
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Increasing your value
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How to transition from an employed position to starting your own practice
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Navigating self-doubt and unhelpful belief systems that get in the way when starting your own practice
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Moving from an insurance-based to cash only practice
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Helping you get clear on what type of practice you want to create and what type of life you want to build