Most clinics get pitched a new revenue stream every month. The ones that work share a pattern: demand evidence from the clinic's own patients, honest unit economics, and verification before spending. This framework scores any candidate line in about an hour.
1. Demand evidence, not enthusiasm
Count what your existing patients already ask for, at the front desk, for two weeks. Aggregate counts only.
Separate "patients asked" from "a vendor told us patients want this." Only the first is evidence.
If demand depends on advertising you have not bought yet, the line is speculative. Plan accordingly.
2. Unit economics with your numbers
Contribution per unit = your price minus itemized variable cost.
Break-even = fixed setup cost divided by contribution.
Run a worse case: contribution down 20 percent, fixed costs up 20 percent. Decide on the worse case, not the brochure case.
3. Verification gates
Name the licensed clinician, counsel and operations owner before anything else.
List every regulatory, licensure and supplier question with an owner, a source and a date.
Any question without an owner is a stop sign, whatever the economics say.
4. Stop conditions in advance
Write down what would pause the line: an unfilled role, a blocked verification item, economics that fail the worse case.
Set a review date to kill or continue. A line with no kill date absorbs money by default.
Walking away after an hour of planning is the cheapest success in business.
Score it, then decide
Rate each of the four sections strong, weak or unknown. Two or more weak or unknown sections means pause with named gaps. All four strong means the line earns a conditional roadmap with a named decision owner. Neither outcome requires spending first.
This framework is business planning education for established practices. It does not evaluate any specific service, product or supplier, and it is not legal, clinical or financial advice.