Home Health Care

Considering the number of people who are growing into their 60's, 70's and older, it's obvious that the home health care industry is set for a large growth spurt. If you are looking at a franchise in this industry, one of your questions is: "What staffing do you need for a home health care franchise?" Of course there are a lot of other questions but this is a major concern. Let's address how to determine that and other issues.

Underlying Assumptions

This key question, 'what staffing do you need for a home health care franchise,' has some assumptions built into it. First, you've decided that your health care business is going to be a franchise. Second, you've implied that you'll be involved in health care. What does 'health care' mean to you? Are you planning on providing in-home medical treatments? Are you really referring to non-medical services that give comfort and peace-of-mind to your client. These primary differences heavily impact the answer to your main question (and others).

If Your Health Care Business is a Franchise

If your business is, in fact, going to be a purchased franchise, your answers are going to be easier to come by. You really need to review the franchise documents, ask questions of the franchise representative and talk with several of the existing franchisees to determine what you should expect regarding staffing. The type staffing you'll need is very different for medical vs. non-medical services. For instance, in the first case, you'll be considering nurses (RN & LPN), nurses' aids, physical therapists, etc. In the second, you may well be looking at people who can provide companionship, take care of household duties, run errands, etc. Of course, you immediately see both a need for higher fees and higher wages in the first case vs. the second. Even so, for these and other questions, you should be able to get all of your answers from the franchisor or other existing franchisees.

If Your Business is Not a Franchise or if Your Are Developing a Franchise

If you won't have the informational resources of an existing franchise available to you, you'll need to develop your own business plan to address all of your revenue and expense projections, including staffing. Don't short-change this task! I recommend that you visit your local SCORE or Small Business Development Center. You'll find their assistance quite valuable. You'll find that the most important part may well be how well formulated your assumptions are. One of the most important will be how you will acquire your clients. That will drive the growth in your revenue and the need for more expenses, such as staffing, into the future.

Learn how best to acquire those clients, even in a local market, by proper use of the internet. You can learn and plan that now, even before starting your home health care business.