Have you almost earnt your FANZCA? Or have you always worked in the public sector and are now looking to work in private was well? This article will show you the steps of how to get started in a private practice as an anaesthetist.
Your college can give you a temporary certification meaning you can start your private practice venture. Anaesthetists can apply four weeks prior to your actual training completion date, providing you have completed all your training requirements. You can find the application form here.
For intensivists, contact the college to go through all the requirements.
You will need a certified copy of your certificate to partake in step 2.
Before you can legally provide specialist services, you will need approval from AHPRA. For this approval, you must fill out the ASPC-30 form.
Fill out the form here.
Whilst this process can vary in length, you can expect it to take around 4 weeks.
Once you are recognised by AHPRA afterwards you can apply for your provider number. The easiest way to do this is through PRODA. Applying online means you will get your provider number immediately. Whilst filling out physical form is an option; it isn’t recommended due to the long wait period.
When applying, make sure you update your bank account details, as this is where you set your payment details for Medicare bulk bill and DVA payments.
Getting registered with health funds before you start private work will consequently save you a lot of hassle down the track. It is recommended to register for every health fund, regardless of your circumstances.
This can be an extremely long and tedious task! It’s one that we do for Solo members meaning you can focus on what’s important instead of piles of paperwork. If you are interested in us doing it for you, please click here.
If you are interested in doing it yourself, here are a list of the registration form links:
Something that we recommend to all our members, is to open up a sperate bank account for your private practice income. This will help with your BAS every quarter, something that we know you don’t have time to waste on.
This step can be done at any stage, it’s probably the easiest and quickest step. Due to the fact you will be providing services that people pay for, you instantly became a business. Therefore, it is essential that you have an ABN for accounting purposes.
You can apply for an ABN here.
When applying, you will need to choose the individual (Sole trader) option and have your Tax File Number ready.
Talk to your insurer about adding private practice cover to your policy. If you get asked, we recommend choosing the lowest threshold for billing initially – you can always increase this later.
Most insurers will provide discounts when you’re starting out in practice, so we recommend asking them if they don’t offer.
Each hospital must accredit you for their facility. Most of this is now done online and you can usually apply for multiple facilities that are owned by the same company in the same application. Contact the hospital and ask for their accreditation officer for how to apply.
You will need the following documents and information in order to complete the application. We recommend having them all saved as PDFs in the same folder to make this process easier.
If you are asked at the last minute to provide your services at a facility where you are not accredited, you can speak to the theatre NUM or in-charge nurse for emergency accreditation. You will be asked to provide many of the documents above, so keep them together and handy. You will then need to apply for formal accreditation soon after.
This step is not essential for private practice, although we guarantee it will make your life so much easier. For example, companies like Solo Practice Management will take care of all the health fund registration for you and help you understand the billing process, maximising your income.
Solo practice management will reduce your administration burdens and let you to focus on the things that make you money or you’d rather be doing.
If this list to feels like too much administration work, let Solo Practice Management get you sorted. Visit here or call us today on 1300 765 676 and we can help you right from the beginning with these steps.