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Is anybody starting own home health care business?

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63dot

63dot

macrumors 603
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Jun 12, 2006
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When I first saw home health care businesses many years ago, people who started a business were pretty much unregulated and many worked on their own besides their regular job in nursing. Many were not even any sort of nurses. When I was younger, I helped many an old person with groceries, cleaning, picking up meds, driving to appointments with doctors, etc.

Now that the baby-boomers are getting older, there's an increased need every year for nurses, but the requirements to start a business seem so stiff. It seems just about every owner I have seen with a business has an MSN, MHM, or MPH degree. I wonder what will be next, for any such business to have to have an MD as an owner?

The home health care business seems to be one that is recessionary proof in these hard times in the US. I briefly considered this field, but the legalities are daunting.
 
colourfastt

colourfastt

macrumors 65816
Apr 7, 2009
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It depends on what state you're in ... when I was in DE it was easy to start a healthcare related business (a friend and I had several), however in FL you need a permission slip from GOD to start one, and even if you have it that doesn't mean the state will grace you with its permission to start your company.
 
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63dot

63dot

macrumors 603
Original poster
Jun 12, 2006
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norcal
colourfastt said:
It depends on what state you're in ... when I was in DE it was easy to start a healthcare related business (a friend and I had several), however in FL you need a permission slip from GOD to start one, and even if you have it that doesn't mean the state will grace you with its permission to start your company.
Click to expand...

It seemed that way when I did handyman chores in an elderly community. What if I am painting a cabinet and the old person falls in the other room? I help them up carefully, right? But these days I have to call 911 and the closest officer or ambulance has to help. If they feel sketchy about it, the whole FD shows up as did when my friend crashed on her bicycle not 10 feet from her store.

I did some research and also found that besides the obvious of having me and my employees all have CPR and a Certified Nurses Assistant license (or similar) from my state, there's also a $50K surety bond, too.

I looked at all the degrees and certifications and there is actually a bachelor's degree with a nursing emphasis on home health care management but nothing in that degree's description about being a consultant or entrepreneur since I only saw that attached to the master's degrees related to the subject.

Every time there's an ad, the owner or senior manager flashes out their MSN, MHM, or MHA credential. Sometimes they are in the ad wearing a nursing/medical jacket. All this legality has made me not to continue to help existing handyman and home health care clients of mine lest I get sued. Those people, also my longtime friends and mentors, will have to get a properly licensed and insured nursing company to do anything medical or even remotely medical in an assisted living situation.

Thank God I can still help my parents legally but I wouldn't be surprised if that privilege or right was taken away from children of the elderly.
 
Macky-Mac

Macky-Mac

macrumors 68040
May 18, 2004
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63dot said:
....Every time there's an ad, the owner or senior manager flashes out their MSN, MHM, or MHA credential. Sometimes they are in the ad wearing a nursing/medical jacket. All this legality has made me not to continue to help existing handyman and home health care clients of mine lest I get sued. Those people, also my longtime friends and mentors, will have to get a properly licensed and insured nursing company to do anything medical or even remotely medical in an assisted living situation......
Click to expand...

if you're doing anything remotely medical, then I sure would want you to be properly trained.....there's quite a difference between "healthcare" and helping out with household chores as a handyman.....nurses aren't intended to do handyman chores and the handyman shouldn't try his hand at a little untrained medical practice
 
63dot

63dot

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Original poster
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Macky-Mac said:
if you're doing anything remotely medical, then I sure would want you to be properly trained.....there's quite a difference between "healthcare" and helping out with household chores as a handyman.....nurses aren't intended to do handyman chores and the handyman shouldn't try his hand at a little untrained medical practice
Click to expand...

In my first semester of law school, studying torts started to get me really thinking of what I had done for a quarter of a century either full time or part time as a "all around handyman". It's one thing, in California (other states may differ slightly or greatly) to be painting a fence in an elderly person's yard, and when I see them fall down, go over to help them up. In the mid-80s, when I was a young gardener/handyman, it was quite OK to help that person up. Today, in my state, I have to call 911 as they only have the authority as I am not any type of nurse. I worked for a law enforcement agency as an analyst and I also was a medical records employee at the hospital at nights, but still not any type of nurse.

This almost sounds crazy, but the law does many times, especially in civil liability cases which are not always logical and can be counterintuitive ... (Google Palsgraf for instance).

My mentor, an elder law attorney for the past 47 years, basically said the fast moving field of liability as it relates to older people is astounding. No longer could I use some Good Samaritan defense if I carefully try and help an old person up, and they concurrently then break a bone or have a stroke.

My classmate from undergrad college days is a fire captain, and he said in some of the most minor injuries, if it's a 911 call, they bring out the cops, the paramedics, and the whole fire brigade with truck and ladder. He confessed to me that it does help keep the small local fire departments in business as there are very, very few fires here as opposed to a higher population area.

One place I can help the elderly is my immediate family.
 
B

BPresley321

macrumors regular
Nov 23, 2007
147
0
Fort Worth, TX
colourfastt said:
It depends on what state you're in ... when I was in DE it was easy to start a healthcare related business (a friend and I had several), however in FL you need a permission slip from GOD to start one, and even if you have it that doesn't mean the state will grace you with its permission to start your company.
Click to expand...

I have heard that in FL there is more healthcare fraud than water...perhaps this is why it is difficult.

In the last year, I helped start a healthcare company for seniors and it is extremely complicated and complex as you already know. But I would encourage you to go for it. If you can leap the hurdles to get into the market, you will likely benefit and the complexities of the healthcare industry help keep the market from being flooded with competition.
 
63dot

63dot

macrumors 603
Original poster
Jun 12, 2006
5,269
339
norcal
BPresley321 said:
I have heard that in FL there is more healthcare fraud than water...perhaps this is why it is difficult.

In the last year, I helped start a healthcare company for seniors and it is extremely complicated and complex as you already know. But I would encourage you to go for it. If you can leap the hurdles to get into the market, you will likely benefit and the complexities of the healthcare industry help keep the market from being flooded with competition.
Click to expand...

One friend of mine, who is getting her MBA in Health Care Management, may consider this path. Maybe I can work for her part time since I have a huge rolodex. ;)

She's going to get in while she can because she wouldn't be surprised if California one day required all owners of health care organizations to hold an MD.

When I was working PT at the hospital near me, the board of that non profit hospital decided all new senior managers had to either be doctors or nurses or hold specific health care administration degrees. The hospital had previously been run by a non medical CEO, but who was good at numbers. Some departments were run by business only types, and the care provided was still good, but many consider it better with actual medical staff in leadership positions.
 
Abstract

Abstract

macrumors Penryn
Dec 27, 2002
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Location Location Location
63dot said:
....but the requirements to start a business seem so stiff. It seems just about every owner I have seen with a business has an MSN, MHM, or MPH degree. I wonder what will be next, for any such business to have to have an MD as an owner?
Click to expand...

As a non-American, the first thing that came to mind was, "I bloody well hope so." :p
 
colourfastt

colourfastt

macrumors 65816
Apr 7, 2009
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Abstract said:
As a non-American, the first thing that came to mind was, "I bloody well hope so." :p
Click to expand...

I bloody well hope NOT ... I've worked in physicians' practices and without fail they were the WORST businessmen I've ever worked with.
 
S

slevine12

macrumors newbie
Jan 11, 2011
1
0
I am taking the plunge

I am in the process of starting a home health care business. I have been trying to attend the RN program for 2 years and have not yet been accepted. Here in California this seems to be a problem and after graduation job placement for new grads has been far and between. This has made me decide to start my own business. As far as I know there are no requirements that one has to have a medical background. :eek:
 
Huntn

Huntn

macrumors Core
May 5, 2008
23,466
26,587
The Misty Mountains
63dot said:
The home health care business seems to be one that is recessionary proof in these hard times in the US. I briefly considered this field, but the legalities are daunting.
Click to expand...

Open a nursing home and the dough will roll in at $3-6k per month. Make sure you have enough wheel chairs to park residents in the hall...
 
steviem

steviem

macrumors 68020
May 26, 2006
2,218
4
New York, Baby!
colourfastt said:
It depends on what state you're in ... when I was in DE it was easy to start a healthcare related business (a friend and I had several), however in FL you need a permission slip from GOD to start one, and even if you have it that doesn't mean the state will grace you with its permission to start your company.
Click to expand...

How does He send these permission slips? After you've prayed to Him, your printer starts up?
 
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