Skip to content
P
The Launch Journey Systems Phase 05 · Build

Infrastructure & Technology

The systems that let your practice actually run.

The question you're asking
Which EHR, which billing system, which clearinghouse, which everything?
The decision in front of you
Tech stack, workflow design, staffing model.
Build sequence · Phase 05

How to actually run build.

The order of operations for this phase. What comes first, what can run in parallel, what will cost you if you skip ahead.

01
What must happen first

Design your patient workflow first. Then pick the EHR that serves your workflow — not the other way around.

Realistic duration
60–120 days
02
What can run in parallel
  • · Telephony + scheduling system
  • · Practice management / billing system
  • · Clearinghouse setup
  • · HIPAA compliance program (policies, BAAs, training)
  • · Staffing plan + hiring
  • · Office build-out / furniture / signage
Do not skip this · what delays launches
  • ! Picking the EHR everyone else uses without checking specialty fit
  • ! Underspending on training and overspending on features
  • ! Ignoring HIPAA until something happens
When to schedule a consultation

Before you sign a 3-year EHR contract or hire your first 3 staff members.

Schedule a consultation
Editorial · the deep dive

Phase 05 is where you choose the systems your practice actually runs on. EHR, practice management, billing, clearinghouse, telephony, scheduling, intake, HIPAA program, staffing model. Get the decisions right and the practice runs quietly. Get them wrong and you'll spend the first two years fighting your own infrastructure.

Design the workflow first. Pick the EHR second.

The most common Phase 05 mistake is picking an EHR because everyone else uses it, then bending the practice's workflow around the EHR's defaults. The right sequence is the inverse: design how patients move through your practice (intake, check-in, exam, billing, follow-up), then pick the EHR that serves that workflow.

For most specialties, two or three EHRs are well-suited and the rest are wrong. Specialty fit matters more than brand. Test-drive the EHR with realistic data and a sample patient workflow before you sign a multi-year contract.

The stack you actually need.

EHR (clinical), practice management (administrative), clearinghouse (claims), telephony (patient communication), scheduling (booking + reminders), intake (forms), and a payment processor. Some EHRs bundle three or four of these; some specialize.

Watch for hidden integration costs. A bundled solution that 'almost' fits is often more expensive over five years than a best-of-breed approach that integrates cleanly. The hard part is knowing which is which — talk to practices already running the stack you're considering.

HIPAA is a program, not a project.

HIPAA compliance is not a one-time setup. It's a documented risk analysis, a set of policies and procedures, Business Associate Agreements with every vendor that touches PHI, regular staff training, and incident response readiness.

Most new practices set up just enough HIPAA to feel safe and discover the gaps when something happens — a lost laptop, a phishing email, a misdirected fax. Do the work upfront. The cost of doing it right is small. The cost of doing it wrong is enormous.

Staffing model and timing.

Most new practices over-hire too early or under-hire too long. The honest staffing model: one front-desk per provider FTE for most specialties, plus billing (in-house or outsourced) and clinical support as your specialty requires.

Hire the first front-desk 30 to 45 days before launch so they have time to train on the systems before patients arrive. Hire clinical support based on the actual patient volume you're seeing, not the volume you're hoping to see.

Ready to start?

Talk to the team before you pour the foundation wrong.

One free consultation. Real answers. We'll tell you whether you need us — and if you don't, we'll tell you what to do anyway.

Schedule a Consultation