Course Overview
What is Brick By Brick?
This 8-week, online course is designed for clinicians to learn and begin the necessary steps to found their own clinical practice. The aim of this course is to teach clinicians that beginning their own practice is not as daunting as they may believe, with many tasks being relatively cheap (or free!), electronic, and fast in a manner that does not require paid services such as LegalZoom to accomplish. Students will learn the fundamental, legal steps necessary to begin a business such as drafting articles of incorporation, obtaining a federal employer identification number, and applying for national provider identification numbers.
The class will also provide a broad overview of payment models in the profession of physical therapy, including the various types of insurance, cash-based physical therapy, and the emerging business model of hybrid practice. Sessions will be provided specifically on national, state, and regional level payors in order to help students make informed decisions to enroll/credential with those insurances (or not). An extremely detailed lesson on Medicare will be provided, including details on Medicare reimbursement, credentialing/enrollment, and “Do’s & Don’t’s” regarding accepting cash from patients who utilize federally provided insurances like Medicare, Medicaid, TriCare, etc. End-stage sessions of the course will focus on helping students who may be ready to consider beginning independent practice, including discussing necessary clinic “front-end” and “back-end” items needed to officially open for business. The ultimate goal of this course is to prepare clinicians to begin their own practice in an approachable manner that keeps them accountable to stay on track to complete the tasks necessary to begin their business in a time-sensitive manner, while also being able to earn CEUs towards relicensure.
Format
Learn How to Start Your Own Physical Therapy Practice
All content (videos, resources, etc.) is delivered through our online learning platform with discussion facilitated through a private Facebook page. Live video conference calls take place Tuesday evenings at 8 PM EST to discuss each week’s content and dive deeper into the material. Attendance at the Tuesday sessions is certainly encouraged however all sessions are recorded and made available to be viewed whenever is convenient for the learner. At no point throughout the class is it mandatory that you are available at a set time, so there should be minimal interruption to your work and life schedule. For those that cannot attend live, a Google Doc is available for Q&A to be answered at the online meetings. Students can expect to need to dedicate 2 hours per week to class between lecture & homework.
Schedule
Week 1 - Incorporation
- Incorporation & different corporation classifications
- Corporate taxation differences
- Applying for incorporation
Week 2 - Federal employer identification numbers (FEIN)
- FEIN vs. SSN for business identification
- Applying for a FEIN through the IRS
- Employee payment models: W2 vs. 1099
Week 3 - National provider identifiers (NPI)
- National provider identification number types
- Obtaining a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Identity & Access (I&A) Management account
- Obtaining a National Plan & Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) account
- Applying for Type 1 & Type 2 NPI number identifiers
Week 4 - Physical therapy payment models
- PPO insurance
- HMO insurance
- Worker’s Compensation insurance
- Automobile insurance
- Federal insurance
- In-network vs. cash-based vs. hybrid practice
- Mid-term exam
Week 5 - Insurance credentialing
- CAQH
- Insurance enrollment/provider credentialing
- Superbills (cash-based practice)
Week 6 - Medicare & Medicare enrollment
- Medicare billing requirements
- Medicare facility requirements
- Medicare enrollment
Week 7 - Clinic necessities
- Commercial real estate
- Clinic front-end
- Clinic back-end
- Financing a renovation
Week 8 - Putting it all together
- Budgeting
- Bookkeeping/Accounting
- Taxes
- Final course checklist
- Final exam
Objectives
- Students will learn & understand the different types of incorporation, draft articles of incorporation relevant to their future practice goals, and submit to their state for approval
- Students will learn & understand the importance of using federal employer identification numbers in business, applying for and obtaining a FEIN from the Internal Revenue Service
- Students will learn and understand the different types of national provider identification numbers, applying for and obtaining both Type 1 & Type 2 NPI numbers
- Students will learn and understand the differences between PPO & HMO insurance, fee-for-service & flat rate reimbursement, commercial & federal insurers, and the differences between in-network practice, cash-based practice, and hybrid practice
- Students will learn & understand the process for both commercial & federal insurance credentialing/enrollment, including Medicare
- Students will learn and understand the differences between commercial real estate classes and necessary physical & digital needs for clinic practice
- Students will learn and understand the basics of practice management including budgeting, bookkeeping/accounting, and taxes
Testimonials
"This is very beneficial for any therapist considering opening their own practice. It provides instruction on establishing an LLC, FEIN, NPI, education about and registering for private insurance and Medicare, front end/back end, marketing, and a basic understanding of taxes and budgeting. Without this course, I would have been required to learn the hard way about all of the requirements for opening a new physical therapy clinic and I'm sure I would have inevitably failed. After this course, I have a new understanding of the level of commitment and risk required to open my own practice. If I do open my own practice, and if I am successful, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Alan Fredendall."
- K.B. from Florida
"Brick by Brick is a top-notch course. It walks through a straightforward curriculum that provides a detailed plan geared toward opening up a clinic in an efficient timeframe. Alan is a fantastic instructor who is a well of knowledge. During the weekly live meetings, there’s a lot of time and opportunity to clarify questions and discuss concerns. I’m very glad I took the time to utilize this course and I feel much more prepared to move forward with going out on my own. Thank you ICE!"
- E.H. from Georgia
"I have taken business & practice management courses in the past that cost thousands of dollars and learned 10x more in this course that cost a fraction of the others. It gave me actionable steps to actually start treating patients on my own and made me feel confident that I can do it myself. Highly recommended for anyone considering starting a practice!"
- L.A. from Illinois
"This course has provided a lot of valuable information that can be accessed at any time as I begin my business. I love how Alan brings in his own personal experiences and is really interested in everyone moving towards their goals."
- G.R. from Anguilla
Additional Information
PREREQUISITES
- None
EDUCATION LEVEL
- Entry-level
Please Note
Our online courses require active participation to be awarded credit which may include reading, homework assignments, and quizzes. We do not allow students to “drop back” to preceding cohorts due to inability to complete work assigned except under extraordinary circumstances. ICE faculty have the final decision in allowing a “drop back” but students are only allowed one “drop back” per course. Failure to complete the course on your 2nd attempt will not yield CEU credit.