Top 15 List

to Start your
Occupational
Therapy
Practice
 Top 15 List to Start your
Occupational Therapy
Practice

1. Determine your Niche and Avatar.

Start narrow, you can always expand.
Review your State Occupational Therapy
Practice Act
Determine how you will get paid: Cash
Based, Bill Insurance, Hybrid Model.
More info below.
Set your Long Term Goal with date.
Create Short Term Goals with dates.

2. Start Establishing Relationships in

your community

3. Name your business

Check with Secretary of State to make sure
name is available.

4. Determine what type of business is

appropriate for you.
Examples: LLC, PLLC, S-Corp,
Work with your accountant or connect with
others in your state on appropriate business
type.
 Top 15 List to Start your
Occupational Therapy
Practice

5. Register your business in your state.

Go to your states business website.
You can do this yourself!!
Example:
https://www.nd.gov/businessreg/

6. Register for your tax ID/EIN.

https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-
businesses-self-employed/apply-for-an-
employer-identification-number-ein-online

7. Establish your business bank account.

8. Set up a system to track your

business expenses and income.
Desk top QuickBooks was recommended by
an accountant.
 Top 15 List to Start your
Occupational Therapy
Practice

9. Get your professional liability

insurance.
OTA Members check out:
https://www.aota.org/AboutAOTA/Membersh
ip/Insurance/Mercer.aspxb.
Many others out there, so get a variety of
quotes.

10. Determine how you will document

and bill.
Cash Base Services:
Consider G-Suite, no real need for an
electronic documentation system.
Insurance Based Services:
Review a variety of EMRs
Do not sign up for these until you are
set up to take clients! Save your money.
Make sure the EMR has all the features
you need, but not features that you are
going to get billed for and do not need.
 Top 15 List to Start your
Occupational Therapy
Practice

11. Set up a system so you will get

paid, depends on your business.
Cash Base or Insurance:
Cash Base: Set-up a program such as
Stripe so you can take credit card
payment. Get paid prior to providing the
service.
Insurance:
FYI – You cannot opt out of MEDICARE
if you are working with Medicare
clients and provide services that
Medicare covers. There is no way
around this! There is a lot of misleading
information out there regarding this.
If you plan to bill insurance, you need
to start on the insurance credentialing
ASAP as it can take a few months.
You need to know your NPI number
and you need a group NPI number.
 Top 15 List to Start your
Occupational Therapy
Practice

What you do depends on what type

of clients you have.
If you take any insurance besides
Medicare, Medicaid, and Tricare
you need to register with CAQH
first. Check out this resource on
CAQH:
https://physicianpracticespecialist
s.com/credentialing/what-is-caqh-
and-why-matters-to-your-practice/

12. Create a Logo

13. Work on marketing plan

Determine how to best serve your clients
Determine the social media your client uses
the most and focus on building a community.
Facebook
Youtube
Instagram
Pinterest
 Top 15 List to Start your
Occupational Therapy
Practice

14. Create Forms and Policies, examples

include:
Forms:
HIPAA/Privacy Practices
Informed Consent
Email Policy
Fee Agreement/Payment Authorization
History Form
Policies:
Declined Payment
Tardy and Cancellation
Illness

15. Continue to serve clients, provide

value and show your value.