Doctors opening their own practice: 6 starts, from solo office to a four-doctor polyclinic
Doctors opening their own practice or polyclinic are not one type. Some leave a hospital, some return from abroad, some start with a friend, some open their first door after thirty years. In the first year they all share one question: where will a selective patient find me, and why will they trust me?
Below are six hypothetical starts from high-income districts of Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir; each carries a question real doctors opening a practice in Turkey face in 2026.
Who opens their own practice? Six starts in one table
The six starts differ on two things: whether the doctor opens alone or with partners, and whether patients already know them. The table sets each profile’s district, facility type and the real question of the first year side by side. Each trust problem starts in a different place, so each solution comes through a different door.
| Profile | District | Facility | The first year’s real question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dermatologist leaving a hospital | Etiler, Beşiktaş | Solo practice | How will my old patients find my new address? |
| Senior ENT specialist | Yeniköy, Sarıyer | Solo practice | Why are my thirty years invisible online? |
| Cardiologist back from abroad | Çankaya, Ankara | Solo practice | Where does a patient who does not know me start? |
| Two paediatricians | Caddebostan, Kadıköy | Polyclinic | Do we show up under two names or one? |
| Four-doctor partnership | Bakırköy | Polyclinic | How are four doctors read as one facility? |
| Seasonal internal medicine specialist | Alaçatı, Çeşme | Solo practice | How do I prepare in winter for summer patients? |
How to read the table
Read left to right: who, where, which paperwork, which question.
The dentist’s side
We cover the dental version of these questions in dentists opening their own clinic.
Solo practice or polyclinic: the paperwork decides the start
Turkey’s Regulation on Private Health Facilities Providing Outpatient Diagnosis and Treatment, published in the Official Gazette on 19 April 2025 (issue 32875), defines a solo practice (muayenehane) as a facility a single physician opens alone to practise independently. A polyclinic works with a staff of at least two and at most four physicians. So “alone or with partners” is answered on paper before any digital setup.
Staffing shapes the name
In a solo practice the name on the door is usually the doctor’s own. In a polyclinic the facility name and the doctors’ names live separately.
Provincial health directorate first
Requirements can change. Before opening, check the current text of the regulation and your provincial health directorate; this article is not legal advice.
Opening alone: Etiler, Sarıyer and Çankaya
BU BÖLÜMÜN ÖZETİ
- Scene: a dermatologist leaving a hospital in Etiler
- Scene: a first door after thirty years in Yeniköy
- Scene: a cardiologist back from abroad in Çankaya
A doctor opening alone has their name as their biggest asset, and that name scattered across the internet as their biggest risk. The fix in all three scenes is to write the name once, correctly, with the address.
Scene: a dermatologist leaving a hospital in Etiler
Monday morning, in a practice whose sign is not up yet, she checks her phone. Old patients still call the hospital switchboard looking for her. Her name does not move by itself; it has to be written again with the new address.
Scene: a first door after thirty years in Yeniköy
The senior ENT specialist knows most patients through word of mouth. But a young family that has just moved in checks Google first and cannot find a single page under his name. Invisible experience has to be written: title, field, hours.
Scene: a cardiologist back from abroad in Çankaya
After ten years abroad she comes home; colleagues in Ankara know her, patients do not. Foreign patients from the embassy district search in English, so languages spoken are her first door.
Opening together: Caddebostan and Bakırköy
In a jointly opened polyclinic the problem is the number of names. Four doctors mean four names plus a facility name online at once. If facility and doctors are not written as linked, patients get stuck on “is this the same place?” and go elsewhere.
Scene: two paediatricians in Caddebostan
Two friends start with the minimum staff of two physicians the regulation sets for a polyclinic. Their first debate is the sign: two surnames or one shared name? A parent calling on Saturday asks something else: who is on duty?
Scene: a four-doctor partnership in Bakırköy
Internal medicine, cardiology, endocrinology and ophthalmology specialists come together at the top of the staffing limit. Each of the four is known to old patients by their own name. Until the facility listing and doctor pages are linked, the till does not ring.
Living with the season: a practice in Alaçatı
In Çeşme, the work calendar follows the season. Summer brings holiday-home owners and visitors; winter quietens the streets. Here a time question joins the trust question: is a doctor open today?
Scene: a holidaymaker calling at night in July
A family from Izmir with a feverish child types “doctor open in Alaçatı”. If the profile still shows May’s hours, they find a closed door.
Season hours go in early
If summer and winter hours differ, the special hours field in the Google profile is filled in ahead of time.
What first-year lessons do the six scenes share?
The six starts differ in district, staff and patients, yet their first-year lessons largely overlap. The common thread: the information a patient needs must be single, correct and current. For the wider picture of why patients stay away, see why patients do not come to a new practice.
- Name, title and address are written identically everywhere.
- After leaving a former employer, the new address is announced quickly and visibly.
- Experience is described with title and field, without superiority claims.
- Languages spoken and weekend hours are stated clearly.
- The facility listing and doctor pages are linked to each other.
- If the season changes, hours are updated in advance.
Worry is natural, shortcuts are risky
A rushed discount ad or review campaign runs into the health promotion regulation.
What stays out in all six scenes
Prices, discounts, “the best” and patient thanks do not become promotional material.
Where do selective patients first meet the doctor?
BU BÖLÜMÜN ÖZETİ
- Listing differences between solo practice and polyclinic
- The digital foundation of year one
- Setup from a single hand
Selective patients usually form their first impression on Google. Under Google’s guidelines, a practitioner serving clients one to one at a verified location during stated hours should have their own Business Profile. If the practitioner is the only public-facing person at a branded organisation, a single profile is named in the format “brand: practitioner name”.
Listing differences between solo practice and polyclinic
In a solo practice the rule applies directly. In a polyclinic the facility profile and doctor profiles are planned separately. How to fill in the category and fields is covered in medical practice Google Business Profile.
The digital foundation of year one
In all six scenes the foundation has three layers: profile, mobile-friendly website, visitor tracking. You will find the full path in the new medical practice promotion guide, and the first 90 days in a new practice’s first 90 days.
Setup from a single hand
The Website Recipe in the Get Visible Online campaign builds these three layers for TRY 36,000 + VAT, paid upfront at a fixed price, over a 3-month period; results are reviewed together at the end of the first month. Details are on the campaign page.
Whichever scene you are in, the first-year question is the same: when a patient looks for you, where and how will they find your name written?
Quick Summary
- A solo practice has one physician; a polyclinic has a staff of two to four.
- Opening alone risks a scattered name; opening together risks too many names.
- Selective patients usually form their first impression on Google.
- A doctor serving patients one to one can have their own Business Profile.
- Seasonal practices enter special hours in advance.
- Discounts and review campaigns are off the table in every profile.
Short Glossary
Solo practice (muayenehane): A solo practice is the health facility a single physician uses to practise independently on their own.
Responsible manager: The responsible manager is the title used for the physician officially accountable for how a private health facility operates.
Special hours: Special hours are the Google Business Profile field used to show different opening times for holidays or seasons.
Next Step
Whatever your scene, to build year one’s foundation within the rules, apply for the Get Visible Online campaign. Fill in the needs form and get the recipe that suits you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Source: Google Business Profile Help — Guidelines for representing your business on Google
Sık Sorulan Sorular
Under Turkey’s outpatient health facilities regulation, a solo practice is opened by a single physician on their own; a polyclinic works with a staff of at least two and at most four physicians. Check current requirements with your provincial health directorate.
Google allows an individual practitioner who serves clients one to one and can be reached at a verified location during stated hours to create their own profile. Facility and doctor profiles should be linked and consistent.
No. The package is TRY 36,000 + VAT, paid upfront at a fixed price; at 20 percent VAT that is TRY 43,200, so check the current rate on the invoice. If an ad recipe is chosen, the budget is paid to Google or Meta separately; the Website Recipe needs no ad budget.
Updated: October 2026