10 Things You Need Before Your First Client
Seeing your first client is one of the most exciting and nerve-wracking times in the beginning of your private practice lactation journey. And despite the training that led you to this moment, there tends to be some gaps in what is actually needed to hit the ground running. This list of 10 things you need to think about before you see your first client will foremost protect you and your assets, and second, ensure that you are organized and professional. It will prevent missteps, grumpy clients, and hopefully, legal trouble!
Legal Compliance in Your Area
Each state varies in what it requires of a business owner. The most important part is to protect your financial assets in the event of litigation.
Check to see if your state requires a business license.
Check to see if your state requires a “doing business as” filing.
Make sure you aren’t using a trademarked name.
Consider using a Registered Agent to file your LLC paperwork and obtain proper tax status from a company. We use Northwest Registered Agent and they are worth every penny.
Liability Insurance - if you are in private practice, you have to have liability insurance. Read more here.
Client Consent Form
You shouldn’t see any clients until they have completed their client consent form. Without their consent, you are operating in a way that doesn’t protect you should something go wrong. Most certifying bodies actually require this so make sure you understand how to get consent!
Intake Forms that Operate within Your Scope
If you are not supposed to be providing clinical care, you are not supposed to be asking clinical questions.
Know your scope - if the client wants something you don’t provide, you have to refer them elsewhere.
Many EHR’s have the option to use premade forms, or to design your own. Just make sure you are using forms you have permission to use in the manner you are using them.
Pro-Tip: Note the questions you finding yourself asking frequently so that you can add those to your intake questionnaires.
Common sources for intake forms include Paperless Lactation, Diana West Lactation Forms, and many private LC’s have designed their own.
A Disclosure about How You Communicate with Clients
Do not use Facebook or Instagram Messenger as your way to communicate. They are not secure.
Clients will message you any way they know how. Be firm in how you’d like to carry on those conversations. We recommend a secure messaging portal like Practice Better or Spruce.
You have to offer your clients an option for secure messaging- they can opt out, but you can not fail to offer.
Payment Policies
Clients will find ways to try and get services for free or be refunded when they don’t show up. Make sure your payment policies set your business up for success.
If they are X minutes late, a no-show, or they don’t pay, be firm in sticking to your policies. You put in the time to prepare for them, and your time has value. Don’t be taken advantage of - you don’t work for free.
Clients need to sign that they understand your payment policies.
Health Record Storage and HIPAA Compliance
If you are providing care, you need to maintain HIPAA compliance. That means knowing what Personal Health Information (PHI) is, and knowing how you have to securely store it. For more information on HIPAA Compliance and Breastfeeding Support, read here.
Know what your plan is before you ever even think about seeing a client, and make sure you are being compliant from day one.
There are two common ways to store information.
EHR - Electronic Health Record: EHR’s are great because you can easily access them and they are password protected. No matter where you go, they are there.
Paper - This does not mean writing on scraps of paper in a notebook in your kitchen and walking away. You need to have a secure, locked, and dedicated record keeping space for these notes.
Ways to Accept Payment
Lactation consultants are health care providers, which means even your payment systems need to be privacy and HIPAA compliant.
You can’t use a personal PayPal Account, you’ll need to set up a business one. In order to do that, you’ll need a business bank account. We use Novo Bank and couldn’t be happier.
Decide on if you’ll accept credit cards, checks, or even cash. You’ll need to decide if using a payment collector like Square is right for you.
We recommend proof of payment before services are rendered.
Care Plan and Resources
Great! You have successfully worked with your first client. They will forget 90% of what you told them. And, to cover your backside, you should give them a copy of their care plan.
A care plan can be printed or digital, should contain the methods of treatment you recommend, when to reach back out if something changes, and how long their treatment should take.
Have you created a list of resources to share with your clients? Have you personally reviewed them all to make sure they are in line with what you tell clients? Have you checked they are from sources that will be safe for ALL of your clients?
Set-up to Create Doctor’s Notes
Many times, you’ll need to submit notes to your client’s doctor when you are working in conjunction with them to help the dyad make breastfeeding work.
Having a branded doctor’s note template is and will be taken more seriously by other professionals.
Doctor’s notes cover your behind! There will be times a baby is actually in distress and at risk, you want to be sure you can get that information to the physician and prove it went there in case the parents or health care providers are not acting in the baby’s best interest.
Area of Service and Schedule
Decide how far you are willing to travel and the hours you are willing to work.
If you offer virtual services, do you have your handouts and forms setup to send your client? Do you have a telehealth platform picked out?
Items that are Nice to Have, but Not Required:
Functional Website:
Face it, this is 2021, if you don’t have a website or strong social media presence for your business, people will be less likely to work with you. They want to know who they are working with and that you aren’t a scam.
Check your website for typos, broken links, and mobile friendliness.
If you are struggling or haven’t created a website yet, we offer Digital Lactation Practice Website Design Services that are quite affordable and will get you started off strong in a professional capacity.
Handouts
Clients want you to present to them as though you have been doing this job for ages and know your material. However, clients can and should be given materials to read for themselves, to become more educated, and to continue their care plans.
We offer Breastfeeding Brandables™ client template handouts that can be branded to your business so that you present to your clients as the real deal.
Branding
Whenever you do decide to solidify your image, please work with a branding specialist to do this. We use MilkGuide.Co for our logos and graphics, and we are beyond satisfied.
Branding matters for your marketing.
Don’t let this list discourage you if you thought you were ready to see your first client and now aren’t. They will thank you, and future you will thank you for taking the time to set the foundation of your business up right.
