How much is your physician practice worth? Often, it depends on who wants to know and why. Valuation professionals follow different methodologies depending on whether the physician is selling a medical practice to another physician, valued for a divorce proceeding, or if practice partners just want to go their separate ways.
You can follow several pathways to put a value on a physician’s medical practice. The market value approach – for example what other practices in the area sold for recently – is dandy for houses but can be an exercise in uncertainty to compare medical practices in different parts of the country. Finding “comparability” is often quite difficult.
Another approach is to try and project future cash flow, the component most important to business investors and buyers. This is called the income approach and I consider it the most appropriate method for valuing physician practices and healthcare entities. But first you must normalize revenues, expenses, and more importantly, physician owner compensation.
Physician owners tend to take whatever’s left after expenses as their compensation. If physician compensation is set at a fair market level for the same area but there’s never any cash left at the end of the year, then what’s it worth to an investor? Unless a physician earns substantially more than the fair market rate for his or her specialty and the area, that money is physician compensation, not profit. That’s why figuring in goodwill – the ability to make profits – is such a major component in physician practice valuation.
A physician practice is unique and as such, it is important to know the nuances of physician practice when conducting a practice valuation. This includes understanding the revenue stream and what it comprises (ex. CPT coding) and the unique overhead issues (ex. one-time costs and non-operating costs). It also includes understanding potential healthcare restrictions on the valuation, such as:
My medical practice valuation services occur in the following situations.
I can help with the sale of a medical practice to another physician, acquisition by a hospital, or acquisition by other entity. This includes brokerage through Tinsley Medical Practice Brokers.
Life happens, and sometimes not as we expected. It is critical for your medical practice to have a comprehensive transition strategy in place.
Working with your legal counsel, I can help draft buy/sell agreements that state buyout value based on FMV (Fair Market Value) or some other agreed upon formulary.
I can assist in determining value to the marital estate and related inclusion of personal versus enterprise goodwill.
I can assist in the distribution of initial equity interests and/or distribution of sales proceeds. Find out more about medical practice merger facilitation here.
If a new owner buy-in will be based on FMV for a formulary; services also include structuring the buy-in and any related tax issues.
Litigation valuation is usually needed with regard to physician contract disputes and damage calculations.
Yes! I specialize in medical practice valuation, a niche within my CPA expertise. Physician practices have unique aspects, necessitating a deep understanding of revenue streams (e.g., CPT coding), distinctive overhead issues (e.g., one-time and non-operating costs), and healthcare-related valuation constraints. This includes adherence to Stark Laws, IRS Private Inurement, considerations of physician ownership in entities with “Designated Health Services,” and compliance with Anti-Kickback Statutes in deal structures, incorporating allowed “Safe Harbors.”
Determining the value of your physician practice varies based on the context. Valuation methods differ for selling to another physician, divorce proceedings, or practice dissolution. One approach is the market value method, comparing recent local sales, though it’s challenging for medical practices nationwide. Alternatively, the income approach, projecting future cash flow, is crucial for business investors. Normalizing revenues, expenses, and physician owner compensation is key in applying the income approach, my preferred method for valuing healthcare entities.
Yes. With over 30 years of experience as an independent merger facilitator, I guide you through the complexities, highlighting potential risks like antitrust issues. My role is to ensure you understand the process and navigate it successfully, safeguarding against pitfalls and setting your practice merger on a path to success.
With more than 30 years of experience, I set you up for success before you even take the first step.
In healthcare, the selling and buying of medical practices is a common occurrence. Whether you are a physician looking to expand your reach or a practitioner considering retirement, understanding the... Read More >
Medical Practice Valuation What is medical practice worth? It depends. And once you understand this fact, you can then begin to concentrate on how to get to the answer and... Read More >
Medical Practice Valuation What is a medical practice worth? IT DEPENDS And once you understand this sole fact, you can then begin to concentrate on how to get to the... Read More >
