Since July 1, Quebec has had a new law on health and social services information. Most people outside the health system have not yet taken note of it. Anyone starting a private clinic, a physiotherapy practice or a home care service should, because the law also applies to parts of the private sector, such as physicians' and dentists' offices. Combined with Law 25, whose final provisions came into force in September, this means a small health business now has more privacy obligations than almost any other kind of startup.
This is one of the reasons the health care version of the business launch program we teach differs so much from the others. It remains the ASP Lancement d'une entreprise, offered with Osmose Formations: 330 hours over 12 weeks, fully online, with two days of class and three days of coaching. The method is the same, and every student works on their own project. However, the plan for a clinic, a home care service or a wellness practice must address matters that a shop or a café never has to consider.
This article does not constitute legal or medical advice. It presents what we ask these projects to verify, and in what order.
Who is allowed to offer health services in Quebec?
Professional orders and regulations should be verified first: before the logo, before the lease and before the website. The first question is who is authorized to do what you plan to do.
Quebec regulates health professions through the Professional Code and the professional orders. Many titles are reserved: a person may not use the title of nurse, physiotherapist or psychologist without being a member of the appropriate order. Some activities are also reserved, meaning that only certain professionals may perform them, regardless of the title used. Psychotherapy requires a permit. The Office des professions du Québec publishes the list of orders, and each order's website explains who may become a member and what members are permitted to do.
This applies in both directions. If you are a member of an order, its rules apply to your business: record-keeping, ethics, advertising and, in some cases, the structure of the business itself. If you are not a member, you need to know precisely where the boundary lies, so that your services, your job title and your marketing remain within it. Many wellness practices operate in fields that have no order, which is entirely acceptable, provided the wording on the website does not promise treatment you are not authorized to provide.
What other permits and certifications may be required?
Depending on the project, additional requirements may apply. Private seniors' residences require certification. Some clinics need specific permits. Selling natural health products involves federal rules. Hiring staff also requires verifying their credentials. None of these requirements is a reason to abandon a project. They are a reason to identify them early, because they can affect the budget, the timeline and sometimes the entire concept.
Why are insurance and privacy part of the business model?
In most startups, insurance is a line in the expenses and privacy is a policy page. In health care, both determine how the business operates.
Which insurance considerations apply?
Insurance must be considered on two sides. You need professional liability insurance, which many orders require of their members. You also need general liability coverage, and possibly coverage for equipment, premises and cyber incidents. We recommend obtaining real quotes during the planning stage, as the amounts are rarely small.
Your clients' insurance also has a significant, though less visible, influence. A service covered by the public system, a service reimbursed by group insurance and a service paid entirely out of pocket represent three very different businesses. Insurers decide which receipts they accept. If your clients rely on reimbursement, determine what they need from you before you set your prices.
What does privacy require on a daily basis?
Health information is the most sensitive category of information. Law 25 already requires a person in charge of the protection of personal information (by default, the owner), consent for its collection, a privacy policy, an incident register and, since September 22, data portability. We have published a more detailed article on the blog about what Law 25 means for a small website.
For health businesses, the new health information law adds its own requirements where it applies: security measures, logging of access to records, rules for sharing information, and assessments before data is transferred outside Quebec. This last point deserves particular attention. Where does your electronic records software store its data? Your booking tool? Your email? Many widely used tools are hosted in the United States. We recommend asking this question before subscribing, not after.
In practical terms, privacy requires both money and time. Secure software costs more than free tools, and staff training takes hours. All of these costs belong in the financial plan, alongside rent.
How should a health business approach marketing?
Trust is the main marketing asset of a health business. People do not choose a physiotherapist the way they choose a pizza. They are concerned, often in pain, and sometimes choosing on behalf of a parent. What they are actually purchasing is confidence that you are competent and that you will treat them well.
Marketing a health business therefore consists mainly of demonstrating, calmly and clearly, why clients can trust you:
- Your credentials and your order membership, visible and easy to verify.
- Clear prices and what they include. Unexpected charges on an invoice erode trust faster than anything else.
- Whether insurance reimburses your services, and which receipts you provide.
- Authentic photos of your actual premises and team. Stock photos of smiling models in white coats do not convince anyone.
- Service in French and English if your area requires it.
Tactics that work in other sectors call for caution. Many orders' codes of ethics limit how members may advertise, and some restrict testimonials. We recommend reading your order's rules before asking patients for reviews or running a promotion. Discounts and "limited time" offers are, in any case, poorly suited to health care.
Local visibility matters far more than clever campaigns. Most people search for a clinic near them, on their phone, often on the same day. A complete Google Business Profile, a simple website that loads quickly and answers the obvious questions, and attention to local SEO will achieve more than any campaign.
What does a health care business plan need that others do not?
In summary, the plans developed in this version of the program are more extensive in several areas:
- A regulatory section that names the order, the permits and the limits of the services offered.
- An insurance section with real quotes, and a clear understanding of how clients pay.
- A privacy section: who is responsible, which software is used, where the data is stored, and what happens after an incident.
- A staffing plan that includes credential verification, since hiring the wrong person can be a legal problem and not only a poor fit.
- A marketing plan based on trust and local visibility, in compliance with the ethics rules.
This represents more work at the outset. In our experience, it is also one of the reasons these projects, when properly prepared, tend to be solid. People drawn to health care generally care a great deal about doing things properly. The plan's role is to translate that commitment into systems, costs and documentation before the first patient arrives.