How To Start A Medical Weight Loss Program
This is Simply The Most Detailed Blueprint Ever Written For Running A Successful Medical Weight Loss Program, For: Investors, MDs, Nurses, RDs and Physicians’ Assistants.
Many people, including medical professionals, want to get into the $65 billion U.S. weight loss business. But how? Do you simply buy a franchise for $150K-$400K? A license? Start your own program from scratch? How much will it cost, and which ventures will be most likely to succeed? How can you avoid the mistakes others in this business have made? Do you have the qualities and background to make it in weight loss?
This groundbreaking new guide by Marketdata covers it all, from soup to nuts.
Written in an easy to read style, with commentary by the nation’s leading 27-year weight loss market analyst and consultant, John LaRosa. Comes complete with administrative forms, contracts, sample meal plans, sample ads and brochures, referrals to ad agencies and consultants with extensive weight loss company experience, and more.
This practical Guide cover these topics, in detail:
Many people, including medical professionals, want to get into the $65 billion U.S. weight loss business. But how? Do you simply buy a franchise for $150K-$400K? A license? Start your own program from scratch? How much will it cost, and which ventures will be most likely to succeed? How can you avoid the mistakes others in this business have made? Do you have the qualities and background to make it in weight loss?
This groundbreaking new guide by Marketdata covers it all, from soup to nuts.
Written in an easy to read style, with commentary by the nation’s leading 27-year weight loss market analyst and consultant, John LaRosa. Comes complete with administrative forms, contracts, sample meal plans, sample ads and brochures, referrals to ad agencies and consultants with extensive weight loss company experience, and more.
This practical Guide cover these topics, in detail:
- Do You Have What It Takes To Survive In This Business?
- Reality Check for MDs, Success Criteria
- Diet Market Outlook & Competition
- Program Components
- Pricing and patient financing
- ACA’s Preventative Care Benefit Opportunities
- What Dieters Want today
- Existing Medical Franchises & Other Models – company descriptions, costs
- Start-up Costs
- Retail Clinic Set-up & Layout
- Staff Recruitment & Salaries
- Operations, Expected Revenues & Profits
- Bookkeeping, IT requirements and consultants
- Marketing Methods to use, costs
- Weight loss Counselor’s Role & Quality, salaries
- Case Studies of Successful Medical Weight Loss Chains
- Creating Meal Plans (28-day plan provided)
- The Private Labeling of Meal Replacements
- Using Prescription Obesity Drugs and Supplements
- Strategy of Diversification
- Building your brand.
PART
Course objectives
Do you have what it takes to compete in this business? What it takes to succeed
Reality check: your competition--medical, commercial, DIY, retail
What dooms a weight loss company to failure
Weight loss market outlook, trends, forecasts, what dieters want
The major medical corporate chains & franchises, retail drugstore chain mini-clinics: number of sites, profiles (CVS, Rite-Aid, Walmart, Redi-Clinic)
Hospital & clinic-based programs: descriptions
Physician-based weight loss programs – no. of MDs with programs estimate
Consumer attitudes toward MD weight loss programs
Bariatricians’ weight loss programs (bariatrician training & profile of practice, Fees, methods they use, etc.)
VLCD programs (very low calorie diets) and vendors (HMR, Optifast, Robard): No. of patients nationwide, costs, methods used, company profiles
Medical clinic competitive advantages & disadvantages
Available medical weight loss models: franchises, licenses, turn-key models
Table: Typical revenues & expenses, earnings per medical weight loss center
Table: Avg. cost to the patient, top medical weight loss companies
Table: Avg. income statement for a medical weight loss franchise
Table: Start-up costs for the top medical weight loss franchises
COMPANY PROFILES (HOW THEIR PROGRAM WORKS, NO. OF SITES, COMPANY DETAILS)
Medi-WeightLoss Centers
Smart For Life
Nuviva Clinics
Thinique
Let’s Lose Advanced Weight Loss
JumpstartMD
Dr. G’s Weight Loss Clinics
Lindora Clinics (corporate chain, not a franchise)
Medical Weight Loss of Michigan (corporate chain)
Licensee Model: Centers For Medical Weight Loss
Vivaliti Wellness
Should you purchase a franchise? Is it worth it?
Obamacare: the major opportunity created, the Preventative Health Benefit explained, features & limitations, the business opportunity for MDs, PAs, NPs, RDs
Obamacare: list of states with mandatory insurance coverage for obesity screening & counseling
Obamacare: counseling services, who’s qualified
Obamacare: CPT codes for weight loss counseling reimbursement
PART
Part-time vs. full-time venture? – your choice
Facility space and logistics – new standalone center vs. existing space
Investment costs to buy a medical weight loss franchise or license, by company
Start-up costs for a stand-alone retail weight loss center (non-franchise)
Operating costs/income statement for a stand-alone retail center
Finding the right retail site
Franchise start-up costs
Recommended lease terms
Center design: exterior and interior layouts
The Weight Loss Consumer Bill of Rights
Procedures manual: contents (forms, procedures/duties for personnel)
Merchandise to display and sell
Equipment and supplies needed
Hours of operation
IT and Software recommendations
Bookkeeping – reports needed
Patient financing options: making it easy to pay you
Staffing – positions to fill, typical salaries
Weight Loss Counselors: your key asset, weaknesses of commercial coaches, recruiting your staff
Ideal backgrounds of counselors
What counselors should do/not do, limitations
How to use Registered Dieticians in your practice (typical diet plans, how to find them)
Collaborative Practice Agreements (see Appendix for sample)
Marketing: your advantages as a medical professional
Marketing: promotional methods to use
Marketing: budget: how much and how to spend it
Mining your existing patient database (via emails, waiting room fliers, videos)
Email: using it to stay in touch with weight loss patients
Your website: key features, how it can work for you, best practices for e-commerce
Customer loyalty
Waiting room brochures (also see samples in Appendix)
Local newspaper ads, costs, using social media, referrals from other healthcare pros
Marketing & Advertising Consultants experienced in the weight loss market
APPENDIX:
Sample Collaborative Practice Agreement for Nurse Practitioners
Table: State by state scope of practice rules for nurse practitioners
Design samples of fliers describing your program, for your waiting room
PART
Why diet companies fail or lose their way– case studies (LA Weight Loss, Weight Watchers)
Case studies of successful medical weight loss organizations (Lindora, HMR – Health Management Resources, NutriSystem, Johns Hopkins)
Diversification: in-person and virtual/phone services, different plans for different budgets
Creating meal plans: using a Registered Dietitian, DASH Diet, other options
Using multiple plans, the importance of customization
In-depth description of how the DASH program works, calorie levels, foods not allowed, Menus, tips, lifestyle changes, typical daily menu (tables) 9-21
Using prescription diet drugs: safe drugs to use, problems with previous diet drugs, discussions Of: Phentermine, Xenical, Qsymia, Belviq, Alli, Saxenda, others
Form: Patient Informed consent for Appetite Suppressants and Participation in a Weight Management Program
Using dietary supplements: limitations, legal experts to consider, customer attitudes toward Them, why use is a dual-edged sword, pricing, restrictions on claims, attorney specialists
Using meal replacements (shakes & bars): why they are popular and safe, your private label brand, vendors who can make them for you, calorie counts and sugar levels, the use of soy, the convenience factor, ingredients, high protein/high fiber
Vendor profiles: Bariatric Advantage, Bariatric Choice, Bariatrix Nutrition, Nature’s Sunshine
Other companies using meal replacements (multi-level marketers, VLCD vendors, retail brands)
Complementary, optional services to offer (hormone tests, etc.)
Viewing your program as a complement to bariatric surgery patients (pre- and post-surgery), the growth of bariatric surgery, patient demographics, insurance coverage, demand, ACA coverage, ASMBS/other obesity societies
Establishing your brand: why it’s important, actions and techniques, goals
Reference Directory of diet industry sources
Appendix: Dietary Supplements certification, regulation, and future outlook
Course objectives
Do you have what it takes to compete in this business? What it takes to succeed
Reality check: your competition--medical, commercial, DIY, retail
What dooms a weight loss company to failure
Weight loss market outlook, trends, forecasts, what dieters want
The major medical corporate chains & franchises, retail drugstore chain mini-clinics: number of sites, profiles (CVS, Rite-Aid, Walmart, Redi-Clinic)
Hospital & clinic-based programs: descriptions
Physician-based weight loss programs – no. of MDs with programs estimate
Consumer attitudes toward MD weight loss programs
Bariatricians’ weight loss programs (bariatrician training & profile of practice, Fees, methods they use, etc.)
VLCD programs (very low calorie diets) and vendors (HMR, Optifast, Robard): No. of patients nationwide, costs, methods used, company profiles
Medical clinic competitive advantages & disadvantages
Available medical weight loss models: franchises, licenses, turn-key models
Table: Typical revenues & expenses, earnings per medical weight loss center
Table: Avg. cost to the patient, top medical weight loss companies
Table: Avg. income statement for a medical weight loss franchise
Table: Start-up costs for the top medical weight loss franchises
COMPANY PROFILES (HOW THEIR PROGRAM WORKS, NO. OF SITES, COMPANY DETAILS)
Medi-WeightLoss Centers
Smart For Life
Nuviva Clinics
Thinique
Let’s Lose Advanced Weight Loss
JumpstartMD
Dr. G’s Weight Loss Clinics
Lindora Clinics (corporate chain, not a franchise)
Medical Weight Loss of Michigan (corporate chain)
Licensee Model: Centers For Medical Weight Loss
Vivaliti Wellness
Should you purchase a franchise? Is it worth it?
Obamacare: the major opportunity created, the Preventative Health Benefit explained, features & limitations, the business opportunity for MDs, PAs, NPs, RDs
Obamacare: list of states with mandatory insurance coverage for obesity screening & counseling
Obamacare: counseling services, who’s qualified
Obamacare: CPT codes for weight loss counseling reimbursement
PART
Part-time vs. full-time venture? – your choice
Facility space and logistics – new standalone center vs. existing space
Investment costs to buy a medical weight loss franchise or license, by company
Start-up costs for a stand-alone retail weight loss center (non-franchise)
Operating costs/income statement for a stand-alone retail center
Finding the right retail site
Franchise start-up costs
Recommended lease terms
Center design: exterior and interior layouts
The Weight Loss Consumer Bill of Rights
Procedures manual: contents (forms, procedures/duties for personnel)
Merchandise to display and sell
Equipment and supplies needed
Hours of operation
IT and Software recommendations
Bookkeeping – reports needed
Patient financing options: making it easy to pay you
Staffing – positions to fill, typical salaries
Weight Loss Counselors: your key asset, weaknesses of commercial coaches, recruiting your staff
Ideal backgrounds of counselors
What counselors should do/not do, limitations
How to use Registered Dieticians in your practice (typical diet plans, how to find them)
Collaborative Practice Agreements (see Appendix for sample)
Marketing: your advantages as a medical professional
Marketing: promotional methods to use
Marketing: budget: how much and how to spend it
Mining your existing patient database (via emails, waiting room fliers, videos)
Email: using it to stay in touch with weight loss patients
Your website: key features, how it can work for you, best practices for e-commerce
Customer loyalty
Waiting room brochures (also see samples in Appendix)
Local newspaper ads, costs, using social media, referrals from other healthcare pros
Marketing & Advertising Consultants experienced in the weight loss market
APPENDIX:
Sample Collaborative Practice Agreement for Nurse Practitioners
Table: State by state scope of practice rules for nurse practitioners
Design samples of fliers describing your program, for your waiting room
PART
Why diet companies fail or lose their way– case studies (LA Weight Loss, Weight Watchers)
Case studies of successful medical weight loss organizations (Lindora, HMR – Health Management Resources, NutriSystem, Johns Hopkins)
Diversification: in-person and virtual/phone services, different plans for different budgets
Creating meal plans: using a Registered Dietitian, DASH Diet, other options
Using multiple plans, the importance of customization
In-depth description of how the DASH program works, calorie levels, foods not allowed, Menus, tips, lifestyle changes, typical daily menu (tables) 9-21
Using prescription diet drugs: safe drugs to use, problems with previous diet drugs, discussions Of: Phentermine, Xenical, Qsymia, Belviq, Alli, Saxenda, others
Form: Patient Informed consent for Appetite Suppressants and Participation in a Weight Management Program
Using dietary supplements: limitations, legal experts to consider, customer attitudes toward Them, why use is a dual-edged sword, pricing, restrictions on claims, attorney specialists
Using meal replacements (shakes & bars): why they are popular and safe, your private label brand, vendors who can make them for you, calorie counts and sugar levels, the use of soy, the convenience factor, ingredients, high protein/high fiber
Vendor profiles: Bariatric Advantage, Bariatric Choice, Bariatrix Nutrition, Nature’s Sunshine
Other companies using meal replacements (multi-level marketers, VLCD vendors, retail brands)
Complementary, optional services to offer (hormone tests, etc.)
Viewing your program as a complement to bariatric surgery patients (pre- and post-surgery), the growth of bariatric surgery, patient demographics, insurance coverage, demand, ACA coverage, ASMBS/other obesity societies
Establishing your brand: why it’s important, actions and techniques, goals
Reference Directory of diet industry sources
Appendix: Dietary Supplements certification, regulation, and future outlook
