Addiction treatment center startups require certain licenses and accreditations to legitimize business operations. As they treat patients with substance use disorder, they must provide a certain level of standard care to proceed. This article will comprehensively cover all the requirements for starting your addiction treatment center.
Strategique Partner is offering its invaluable expert services to entrepreneurs in addiction treatment startups. Let’s consult your options!
How to Start an Addiction Treatment Center- 7-Step Guide
An easy way to apprehend what lies in the startup of an addiction treatment center can be divided into seven general steps.
Step# 1. Assess Project Feasibility
Dedicate a sufficient amount of time to project feasibility that allows you to analyze:
- Which treatment programs are suitable in the area
- What are the zoning requirements
- What addictions are prevalent in the area
- Analyze your competitor’s programs and services
- To what extent your services should be appropriate to the market standards
Market research and feasibility studies will help you bridge the gap between your business plan and feasible goals in your desired location.
Step# 2. Validate your Addiction Treatment Center with Licensing and Accreditation
During the feasibility study, you can determine what type of addiction treatment center you will start a business in. Addiction treatment centers, regardless of their nature, i.e., drug, alcohol, or psychotherapy, require appropriate accreditation and licensing such as:
- Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO)
- Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF)
- DHCS
- Behavioral health license
- Zoning approval
- Fire inspection
- Private business LLC
- State-specific medical detox
Licensing and accreditation are the lifeline for any addiction treatment startup and must be consulted with real-time owners of behavioral health business owners to avoid any legal misfortune.
Step# 3. Attain an Expert Business Plan
Venturing into the behavioral health business requires a solid foundation and careful planning, including a business plan. A business plan is helpful in many ways, such as:
- Selecting the number of beds
- Operational management
- Budget planning
- Allocating financing to expenses
- Buying/leasing appropriate locations depending on your budget
- Determining the goals of the business
If someone starts an addiction treatment center business for the first time, several uncertainties are bound to happen, which can be avoided by following an expertly crafted business plan.
Step# 4. Choose and Equip Suitable Location
Now is the time to implement your business plan by buying/renting your addiction treatment center building. Your feasibility study and business plan collectively impact your location and facility type. A few things to keep in mind while choosing the right location include:
- The center should be near public transport
- It should be located in a commercial market area with nearby pharmacies and departmental stores available.
- It should be appropriate according to your area’s zoning regulations.
- It should have a parking facility and be near parks.
Real estate planning is essential to your business venture and must be planned wisely.
Step# 5. Hire and Train Addiction Treatment Experts
Operating addiction treatment centers demands a prerequisite of well-trained and highly experienced staff that includes:
- MD
- Nurses
- Addiction therapist
- Psychotherapist
- Janitors
- Management staff
- Executive Staff
- Pharmacist
Hiring them can be cumbersome and tiring without prior experience or contacts. That is why the easiest way is to connect with people already engaged in providing advisory services in staff hiring, such as Strategique Partners.
Step# 6. Plan the Addiction Treatment Programs You’ll Be Providing
Addiction treatment centers need to be comprehensively equipped with the best treatment programs that suit the client’s needs and ongoing substance use disorder prevalence. The most common treatment programs include:
- Outpatient
- Intensive Outpatient
- Residential treatment
- Medical Detox
- Addiction therapy
Effective program development and management with appropriate planning pave the way for a successful rehab business, so opting for a full-fledged addiction treatment center module is advised.
Step# 7. Promote Your Addiction Treatment Center
Most clients are persuaded through awareness and knowledge into the insight of treatment and how it impacts their lives. Digital marketing and SEO are among the most powerful technologies in the modern era for promoting your addiction treatment center. Digital marketing not only helps in brand building but also works to create contacts and credibility in the behavioral health market in the most efficient way possible!
Get Strategique’s Guide to Addiction Treatment Center Startup
Starting addiction treatment centers can be frustrating alone, and regulatory and operational difficulties always accompany it. Professional guidance is always a plus when starting a new behavioral health business, and strategique partners are here to guide you. Apart from startups, we also offer expertise in:
- Addiction Treatment Center M&A services, including Buy and Sell side Advisory
- Financial Valuations of Potential Addiction Treatment Centers
- Preparing to launch an addiction treatment center
- Turnkey solutions in startups
Let’s dive into the world of behavioral health business with excellence!
Frequently Asked Queries While Starting Addiction Treatment Center
Some common confusions that a startup enthusiast may face include:
How to Write a Treatment Plan for Substance Abuse?
Some of the steps you may follow to create an effective treatment plan for your addiction treatment center include:
- Gather all information during the evaluation
- Get to know the patient’s reason for getting treatment
- Access the patient’s behavior and symptoms while communicating
- Identify the main problem
- Mark any risk or troubles associated
- Persuade patient’s involvement in treatment
- Gather information on the patient’s type of substance use
- Examine and finalize your plan
How to Write a Referral for a Substance Abuse Treatment Plan?
Referral for a substance abuse treatment plan is crucial to your client’s well-being it should include the following guide:
- Devise an effective treatment plan with your medical staff
- Take your patient in confidence for the referral initiation
- Communicate with the concerned agency or treatment provider about the history, background, current situation, and your client’s treatment plan.
- Regularly follow up on progress and advancements with your client and treatment provider.
- Make changes or any updates for an effective treatment for your patient.
Can I Open a Drug Rehab With No Medical Experience?
Yes! You can open a drug rehab without any prior medical experience. Still, you will need highly professional and experienced staff through behavioral health advisors to efficiently equip your drug rehab with all the prerequisites necessary to operate it according to the market standards of care.
From Author
Addiction treatment startups are among the most challenging projects in my behavioral health business administration career, primarily because of their complex regulatory and legal structure. However, years of experience helped me devise the best strategies and perfect business plans for addiction treatment business devotees. My contacts within the industry made my market research and hiring easy and well-structured according to my client’s expectations!