This advice is perfect for entrepreneurial folks who plan on opening an acupuncture clinic. Make sure you consider this advice before you start! Try poking holes in this advice. We dare you! Here are some pragmatic ideas on how to open an acupuncture clinic.
Acupuncture centers are a good business for motivated self-starters, but many people do not have a full understanding of how to open an acupuncture clinic.
Like any business there are many variables to take into consideration when opening an acupuncture center. To Begin, you must find a good location, market your clinic and determine scheduling procedures. If you fail to take these steps seriously you may find yourself losing money within the first few weeks.
This article will help you take the first steps towards opening your own acupuncture clinic.
Overview
Acupuncture (from Latin, 'acus' (needle) + 'punctura' (to puncture) is the stimulation of specific acupuncture points along the skin of the body involving various methods such as penetration by thin needles or the application of heat, pressure, or laser light. Clinical practice varies depending on the country. Traditional acupuncture involves needle insertion, moxibustion, and cupping therapy. It is a form of alternative medicine and a key component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). According to TCM, stimulating specific acupuncture points corrects imbalances in the flow of qi through channels known as meridians. The TCM theory and practice are not based upon scientific knowledge Acupuncture aims to treat a range of conditions, though is most commonly used for pain relief. It is rarely used alone but rather as an adjunct to other treatment modalities.
Evidence on the effectiveness of acupuncture is "variable and inconsistent" for any condition. An overview of high-quality Cochrane reviews suggested that acupuncture may alleviate some, but not all, kinds of pain. A systematic review of systematic reviews found that for reducing pain, real acupuncture was no better than sham acupuncture and concluded that there is little evidence that acupuncture is an effective treatment for reducing pain. Although minimally invasive, the puncturing of the skin with acupuncture needles poses problems when designing trials that adequately control for placebo effects. Some of the research results suggest acupuncture can alleviate pain but others consistently suggest that acupuncture's effects are mainly due to placebo. The evidence suggests that short-term treatment with acupuncture does not produce long-term benefits. A meta-review concluded that the analgesic effect of acupuncture seemed to lack clinical relevance and could not be clearly distinguished from bias.
Acupuncture is generally safe when done by an appropriately trained practitioner using clean technique and single-use needles. When properly delivered, it has a low rate of mostly minor adverse effects. Between 2000 and 2009, at least ninety-five cases of serious adverse events, including five deaths, were reported to have resulted from acupuncture. Many of the serious events were reported from developed countries and many were due to malpractice. The most frequently reported adverse events were pneumothorax and infections. Since serious adverse events continue to be reported, it is recommended that acupuncturists be trained sufficiently to reduce the risk. A meta-analysis found that acupuncture for chronic low back pain was cost-effective as an adjunct to standard care, but not as a substitute for standard care except in cases where comorbid depression presented, while a systematic review found insufficient evidence for the cost-effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of chronic low back pain.
Acupuncture has been the subject of active scientific research, both in regard to its basis and therapeutic effectiveness, since the late 20th century. Scientific investigation has not found any histological or physiological evidence for traditional Chinese concepts such as qi, meridians, and acupuncture points, and some contemporary practitioners use acupuncture without following the traditional Chinese approach and have abandoned the concepts of qi and meridians as pseudoscientific.TCM is largely pseudoscience, with no valid mechanism of action for the majority of its treatments. Acupuncture is currently used widely throughout China and many other countries, including the United States. It is uncertain exactly when acupuncture originated or how it evolved, but it is generally thought to derive from ancient China. Chinese history attributes the introduction of acupuncture to the emperor Shennong. Hieroglyphs and pictographs have been found dating from the Shang Dynasty (1600–1100 BCE), which suggests that acupuncture was practiced along with moxibustion.
Opening an Acupuncture Clinic
Acupuncture Clinic Start-up Prerequisites
- Acupuncture has risen from obscurity to take center stage in the growing holistic healing movement. More than 3 million Americans seek acupuncture treatment each year to relieve pain, stress and other ailments. Combined with other holistic treatment options, acupuncture is a stable industry with a positive growth outlook based on the aging American population.
- The first step in launching an acupuncture clinic is certification. In the U.S., acupuncture is a regulated industry with the FDA classifying acupuncture needles as Class II medical devices, when used by a certified professional.
- In addition to certification, you'll need a general knowledge of the holistic health movement. Many acupuncture clients incorporate acupuncture into a broader treatment regimen. If for nothing else, you'll need to be conversant in holistic health issues just to maintain credibility with your clients.
Best Practices for Acupuncture Entrepreneurs
- Acupuncture entrepreneurs are part clinicians and part business people. In order to achieve the right balance between the two, you'll need to adhere to a handful of best practices for start-up acupuncturists and clinics.
- Focus Your Messaging. Effective small business marketing communicates clear and impact messaging to a target market. Although there are a lot of messages you could deliver to prospective clients, focus your marketing efforts on the educational and promotional messages that are most important to the people you need to reach.
- Consider a Peer Advisory Board. Acupuncture isn't a go-it-alone type of business. Your startup can benefit from the input of your peers. Although they won't have any decision-making authority over your clinic, a peer advisory board can provide a treasure trove of information and valuable advice.
- Networking Matters. As an emerging acupuncture clinic owner, it's important to pursue an aggressive business networking program. By participating in acupuncture industry associations, you will make connections with other acupuncture entrepreneurs and nurture your reputation in the industry.
How to Create Effective Acupuncture Clinic Business Plans
- In a start-up acupuncture clinic, there is no substitute for a high quality business plan. The effort you invest in the creation of your plan now will pay off later in lender responsiveness, investor attention and strategic confidence.
- The most effective acupuncture clinic business plans include a comprehensive chapter on finances. The financial chapter of your business plan is one of the first places investors and lenders look, so it needs to contain forecasts and budgets that are rooted in business realities rather than your personal best case scenario.
- Subsequently, a thorough understanding of business plan financial basics is a prerequisite to effective business plan writing for acupuncture clinics.
Think Local
- Most acupuncture clinics market to local customers. Does localization mean that your business will sell exclusively to customers in the immediate vicinity? Not necessarily. However, it does mean that local customers will be your bread and butter source of revenues. Accordingly, the majority of your start-up promotion efforts needs to center on reaching a local audience.
Don't Overlook the Competition
- Before you open an acupuncture clinic in your area, it's a smart move to see how many competitors you have. Try our link below to find competitors in your city. Complete the form by entering your city, state and zip code to get a list of acupuncture clinics that are close by.
- It's important to be aware of what the competition is doing. Take the time to visit the competition to properly assess their strengths and weaknesses.
A Good Source of Advice
- Once you've finished assessing the competition, it's a wise move to speak with somebody who is already in the business. If you think your local competitors will give you advice, you're being overoptimistic. What's in it for them?
- However, a fellow entrepreneur who has started an acupuncture clinic on the other side of the country may be willing to share their entrepreneurial wisdom with you, once they realize that you are not going to directly compete with them in their community. Indeed, many experienced entrepreneurs enjoy offering advice to startup entrepreneurs. It can take a while to find an entrepreneur who is willing to talk, but it's well worth the effort.
- Where does one find an entrepreneur who is running an acupuncture clinic on the other side of the country to talk to?
- No problem! Just use the link below and try a random city/state or zipcode. Then start dialing for advice until you are successful.
Financial Benefits of Buying an Acupuncture Clinic
- Worried about the financial aspects of starting an acupuncture clinic? Most start-up acupuncture clinic owners are.
- Financial risk management requires you to at least consider the possibility of setting your startup plans aside to explore acquisition opportunities. Many entrepreneurs buy an existing business for the sole purpose of tapping into the financial benefits of an established customer base.
- Based on the acquisition target's financial records, you should be able to piece together a realistic forecast of your new company's financial picture for the first year and beyond. If you need assistance, we suggest talking to an accountant or professional business planning consultant.
Consider Buying a Franchise
- Your odds of avoiding failure in business greatly improve when you choose to franchise and benefit from the prior work of others and their lessons learned.
- Prior to starting an acupuncture clinic, it's worthwhile to check out whether franchising might be the right move for you.
- The link below gives you access to our franchise directory so you can see if there's a franchise opportunity for you. You might even find something that points you in a completely different direction.
Tips of Opening an Acupuncture Clinic:
Receive Certification Before You Open a Clinic
Before starting an acupuncture clinic you must be certified by the American Board of Medical Acupuncture (ABMA). If you are not certified and open a clinic you could face fines and jail time. The ABMA requires you to meet special Criteria before you can apply. The full list of requirements is available on the ABMA's website.
1. Pick a Proper Location
- Find an area with a lot of foot traffic.
- Do not build near an existing clinic.
- Look for areas near health food and holistic medicine stores.
- Build close to homes of potential clients.
2. Advertise Your Acupuncture Clinic
- Place advertisements on local television
- Hand out flyers.
- Use social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter.
- Offer coupons and specials during your opening week
- Go door to door with advertisements.
3. Offer Online Booking to Your Clients
Your customers will be much more comfortable booking their appointment online rather than calling to book.
Therefore it is important that you implement online booking for acupuncturists on your website to ensure that you're able to accommodate all of your potential customers. Automated booking will also save you a lot of time and energy, giving you more time to do what you're best at: Acupuncture.
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