Starting a Practice
90-Day Private Practice Launch Checklist
A week-by-week checklist for the 90 days before opening an independent practice, from licensing and payer credentialing to space, staffing and your first patient day.
Key takeaways
- • Credentialing and payer enrollment take the longest lead time — start them first, often before space is finalized.
- • Space decisions are reversible; licensing and credentialing decisions mostly are not — sequence accordingly.
- • A flexible suite model removes build-out and long-lease timelines from the critical path.
Days 90–61: Licensing, credentialing and business formation
The earliest, longest lead-time items are administrative: confirming state licensure is active for your intended location, beginning payer credentialing (which frequently takes 60–120 days depending on the payer), forming your business entity, and securing an NPI and any required state registrations.
Because credentialing timelines are largely outside your control, most independent-practice launch guides recommend starting this track before space, branding or scheduling systems are finalized.
Days 60–31: Space, systems and financial infrastructure
With credentialing underway, this window is typically used to finalize where you will see patients, what booking and payment systems you will use, and how billing will flow. A flexible medical suite model shortens this step considerably compared to a traditional lease, since there is no build-out, permitting or contractor scheduling to coordinate.
This is also the window to confirm any patient financing options you plan to offer, and to review what documentation (licenses, insurance, W-9s and similar) your space provider or partners require before you can book time.
Days 30–1: Operations, marketing and a soft launch
In the final month, most independent practices finalize their scheduling and intake workflows, set up their website and local listings, and run a short soft-launch period — a handful of visits — to test the full patient journey from booking to checkout before a full public opening.
FAQ
Related questions
Payer credentialing timelines are the most commonly cited delay, since they are largely outside the provider’s control and can run well beyond 60 days depending on the payer.