What Is an Open Questions Register for a New Clinic?

Published September 23, 2026 · 2 minute read

An open questions register is a single list of every unresolved question that comes up while opening a practice, with the person responsible for getting an answer, where the answer should come from, and the date it is needed. Its main job is to keep guesses out of documents. A blank with a tracked question is better than a filled field nobody can support.

Why questions get lost

Questions surface in meetings, on calls with vendors, and while drafting forms. Most are answered informally or not at all. Some turn into assumptions that end up printed in a policy. By opening day, nobody remembers which parts of a document were verified and which were guessed.

Naming the source

The most useful field is the source to consult. Some questions belong with the accountable prescriber, some with a licensing authority, some with an insurer, some with a vendor, and some with the owner alone. Naming the source first prevents the common mistake of asking the wrong person and treating the answer as settled.

Closing a question

A question closes when the answer is recorded with who gave it, the date, and how it was received. Answers that come from an authority also belong in the verification trail. If an answer changes a document, note the document and its new revision.

What to record

• Question, stated precisely
• Where it came from
• Owner responsible for the answer
• Source to consult
• Date needed and what it blocks
• Answer, who gave it, and date
• Documents updated as a result

This register supports the sequence in How to Open a Med Spa. Many questions start with the space itself, covered in decisions to record before signing a lease.