There are currently more than 15,000 nursing homes scattered across the country. But there are probably going to be a lot more of them popping up throughout the U.S. in the coming years.
America is a country that’s getting older and older. In fact, by the year 2030, the number of people over the age of 65 is expected to be higher than the number of children for the first time in the history of the country.
When that time comes, the demand for nursing homes will grow, and it’ll be important for people to know how to start a nursing home. It’ll ensure that there are plenty of high-quality nursing homes to go around for those who need them.
Would you like to learn about the steps you’ll need to take to get a nursing home off the ground? Here is how to go about doing it.
Create a Nursing Home Company
The very first thing that you’ll need to do before opening up a nursing home is create a nursing home company. This will involve doing everything from coming up with a name for to filing the proper paperwork for it.
Technically, you can do some of the other steps listed here before you have your nursing company all set up and ready to go. But your nursing home isn’t going to feel like a real thing until you have a company built for it and a name picked out for it. So you’ll probably want to start there before you do anything else.
Find an Area in Need of Nursing Homes
Once you’ve established your nursing home company and filed paperwork on behalf of it, the next order of business will be to find a location for it. This can be a little bit trickier than it might seem.
There are some states that already have tons of nursing homes in them. California, for example, has more than 1,200 of them.
There are also some states that don’t have nearly enough nursing homes in them. Alaska has fewer than 20, which is pretty amazing when you consider that it’s the largest state in the U.S. in terms of square miles.
Your goal should be to find a state and, furthermore, a city that isn’t already overloaded with tons of nursing homes. Do your market research to find an area in need and plan to build your nursing home there.
Generate a Thorough Business Plan
Coming up with a nursing home company and deciding which area you’re going to target with it are both important. But arguably the most important step of all when you’re starting a nursing home is for it.
You aren’t going to be able to obtain funding from an investor or a lender (more on that later!) without a strong business plan. You also aren’t going to have any clear direction for your company without a business plan to guide you.
Your business plan should spell out which services you’re going to provide for your patients, how many patients you’re going to serve at a time, what you’re going to charge patients to stay in your facility, and so much more.
Make sure your business plan includes anything and everything that investors and lenders might want to know about how your nursing home is going to operate.
Obtain the Proper Business Licenses
Each individual U.S. state goes about licensing nursing homes in a slightly different way. Some of them require nursing homes to go through a lengthy process before earning a license, while others put nursing homes through a process that’s a lot less stringent.
Find out which business licenses you’ll need to run a nursing home in the state and city in which you plan to operate and follow the right steps to get your hands on them. You won’t be able to start accepting patients without them.
Seek Financing
It’s going to take a pretty sizable investment to jumpstart a nursing home. Between paying licensing costs, building a facility, and installing the right equipment for the nursing home, you’re likely going to need to spend hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars to do it.
Unless you have that kind of cash laying around, you’ll need to reach out to an investor or a lender to secure financing for your project. They’ll want to take a good look at your business plan to see how you’re going to use the money and what kind of return they can expect to see on it.
If you aren’t able to obtain financing for your nursing home, there’s a good chance it’ll never materialize. So dot your i’s and cross your t’s when you’re putting together your business plan to make sure it’s airtight and spells out everything.
Build a State-of-the-Art Facility
Assuming you’re able to track down the financing you need to build it, it’ll finally be time to break ground and start construction on your nursing home at this point.
Before you stick a single shovel into the dirt, though, work with the best architects and designers in your area to make sure your facility will be state-of-the-art when it’s done. The more time, effort, and money you put into your facility, the better your chances of attracting plenty of patients when you open up.
This is probably going to be the longest part of the entire process and could take a year or even several years to complete. Be patient and trust your architects and designers to bring your nursing home dreams to life.
Install the Latest Equipment
Building a state-of-the-art facility that looks absolutely amazing is important. But it’s equally as important to fill the facility with the latest equipment once it’s done being built.
You’ll need beds, wheelchairs, fall management tools, patient transfer devices, and so much more. It’s a good idea to invest in equipment that will stand the test of time while keeping those in your nursing home protected.
You’ll also need to install equipment for your employees. Computers and care home software will help employees keep tabs on patients and allow them to provide the best care in your facility. will also help keep things organized.
Hire the Best Staff Possible
Speaking of employees, you’re going to need to fill out your staff with the most qualified people in your area after you’ve built a facility and stocked it with equipment.
There are dozens and dozens of people that you’ll need to hire before you can start accepting patients. Some of the people you’ll need to bring on board include:
- Physicians
- Registered nurses
- Nursing assistants
- Physical therapists
- Dieticians
- Sales representatives
- And more!
You want to establish your nursing home as a nursing home that truly cares about its patients right from the beginning. Nursing home understaffing is something that has plagued the industry for years now, so you want to avoid it at all costs for both your sake and the sake of your patients.
Market Your Services
You might think that building an incredible facility and filling it with all the necessary equipment and staff members would have people lining up at the door to take advantage of your services. But it’s not always that easy!
You’ll also need to market your services effectively to attract patients to your nursing home. You can do this by:
- Setting up a fully functioning website that lists all your services
- Attending community events to get your nursing home’s name out there
- Sponsoring local 5Ks, youth sports teams, and more
- Networking with local doctors
- Running print, radio, and TV commercials
- Establishing a strong social media presence
- to come up with solutions
If you aren’t able to market your nursing home, it’s going to slow down your growth. Marketing should be something that you focus on extensively during your first year in business.
Start Serving Your Community
As long as you follow all the steps listed here and do everything the right way, it shouldn’t be long before you have patients checking into your facility. At that time, it’ll be up to you to win them over with your stellar services and your superior staff.
Listen to the feedback that you receive from some of your first patients and use it to improve your overall operations. It should lead to your nursing home turning into a success in no time.
Know How to Start a Nursing Home From the Beginning
It’s imperative for you to know how to start a nursing home from the moment you begin trying to do it. If you start skipping steps, it’s inevitably going to lead to problems down the line.
There is a strong market for nursing homes throughout the U.S. right now. But they’ve earned a bad reputation in some circles, which means you’ll have to work extra hard to gain the trust of those in your community.
Check out our blog to that you’ll be able to use when you’re starting a nursing home.
