Medical Franchises: A Mix of Business & Physician Services

By: Christine Dura

Operating a medical franchise can be a lucrative and rewarding business venture. However, when it comes to owning a business that provides healthcare and healthcare providers there are a number of federal, state, and local laws that could prohibit various arrangements. Understanding how physicians can work with healthcare franchises is crucial for operating any medical services business.

Medical franchises can be owned by entrepreneurs or licensed physicians themselves. It depends on the desires of the business owner and/or the physician. Owning a healthcare franchise is a great way for physicians to be able to start their own practices with marketing and branding support from the beginning.

How can physicians and franchises work best together? Following some simple words of advice will allow any medical franchise to flourish.

1. The franchise model should be focused on franchisees who are or employ licensed physicians. Any franchise providing healthcare services should employ licensed physicians.
2. The franchise model should be focused on providing franchisee physicians with a marketing plan and branding for physicians’ services. One of the issues physicians encounter when starting their own practice is that they don’t have marketing or branding experience. Physicians treat patients, they don’t necessarily have the time or desire to focus on marketing their practice. Medical franchises provide a built-in marketing back office in order to promote the brand.
3. The franchise model should be focused on elective procedures and preventative care that does not necessarily involve third-party payers. Many federal and state regulations outline how third-party payers can be involved in medical franchises.
4. The franchise model should be focused on an appropriate revenue and fee structure. Many states have rules that regulate revenues when it comes to medical franchises.
5. Physicians should feel supported by the medical franchise they work with. Electing to going into business with a franchise instead of opening an independent practice comes with a slew of benefits. From the aforementioned marketing support to cutting through red tape, the franchise can be the backbone of the business side of a healthcare location while the physician can focus on the patient.

First and foremost, physicians and franchises can work best together when all regulations and rules are well understood and abided by. Figuring out how to navigate the world of the medical franchise can be challenging but running a healthcare services location is ultimately rewarding. Due to the ever-increasing demand for convenient and affordable healthcare, the opportunity to succeed at medical franchising is tremendous. With the right team on board and a plan in place, your medical franchise will be unstoppable.

OrthoNOW is the first and only Orthopedic franchise. Contact Christine Dura at Christine@orthonowcare.com for more information about franchise opportunities.

Christine has over 25 years of quantifiable executive management and franchise related leadership experience within the US and internationally with notable franchise startups in the service, technology, retail, food, health and wellness, financial service, medical care, technology and professional services.   As a Senior Franchise Executive and Entrepreneur, Ms. Dura has been both an individual contributor and has successfully led world-class teams.

Ms. Dura excels at partnering with all core business operations to significantly increase the company’s foot print, expand market share, and generate sustainable revenue and EBIT gains.  Her proven successes, combined with her Master Degree in Training and Development, have shaped Ms. Dura’s uncanny ability to identify opportunities, build mutually rewarding partnerships and produce remarkable results. 

In addition, as a four-time Master and Unit Franchise Owner, Ms. Dura is in a very unique position to leverage her experiences and reputation at all levels in franchising along with her vast personal and professional investor network to drive immediate and long term results.   As OrthoNOW’s Chief Development Officer her role is to identify critical gaps in franchise growth and implement strategies to drive results. Her unique background allows her to leverage past experiences and solid reputation to spearhead OrthoNOW’s national expansion plans.