Medical and dental practice financing covers clinical equipment, office build-outs and the gap between treating patients and receiving insurer payments. Oakwick Lending Group, a small-business funding broker in Concord, NC, works with Cabarrus County practices, 346 ambulatory health care employers in 2023 (Census CBP), and introduces requests to lending partners, which decide and set rates and terms.
| Ambulatory health care | 346 employer establishments, Cabarrus County (CBP 2023) |
|---|---|
| Offices of physicians | 83 establishments |
| Offices of dentists | 81 establishments, 761 paid employees |
| Health care payroll | About $772.7 million, the county's largest sector payroll |
| Common products | Equipment financing, working capital for claim gaps, term loans |
| Who decides | A lending partner; Oakwick Lending Group only arranges |
Outpatient care in Cabarrus County, NC
Cabarrus County had 346 ambulatory health care employer establishments in 2023, with 4,137 paid employees. That group includes 83 offices of physicians and 81 offices of dentists; the dental offices employed 761 people (U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023). Across all of health care and social assistance, annual payroll was about $772.7 million, the largest of any sector in the county.
Practice size varies. 38.6 percent of physician offices had fewer than five employees, but only 23.5 percent of dental offices did, reflecting the hygienists and assistants a dental practice needs. A further 952 ambulatory care businesses had no paid employees in 2024 (U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics 2024), many of them solo practitioners.
The insurer payment gap
A practice delivers care, submits claims and waits. Payroll, rent and supplies are due long before the reimbursement arrives, and a change in payer mix or a backlog in billing can stretch the wait further. That is a timing gap, the job of working capital or a line of credit, rather than a reason for long-term debt.
Clinical and office equipment
| Practice type | Typical equipment |
|---|---|
| Dental | Operatory chairs and delivery units, digital imaging and cone-beam CT, sterilization equipment |
| Physician | Diagnostic and imaging equipment, exam room furnishings, practice management and records software |
| Chiropractic and therapy | Adjusting tables, therapy and rehabilitation equipment, X-ray |
Equipment financing lets the equipment secure the debt, with terms usually matched to its useful life. Imaging and software age faster than chairs and cabinetry, which is why some practices lease technology and finance furnishings. Compare total cost and end-of-term options for both before choosing.
Opening, expanding or acquiring a practice
A new office or a second location is usually a term loan question: the build-out, cabinetry, plumbing for operatories and initial equipment add up to a sum that pays back over years. Buying an existing practice is a larger project that often involves specialized practice lenders; partners will want the seller's financials and production history.
What a partner will want from a practice
- Business and personal tax returns and recent bank statements
- Collections and production reports, and the payer mix
- Accounts receivable aging from insurers
- Equipment quotes or a build-out budget
- The provider's professional license, and existing practice debt
Partners that fund health care tend to understand claims timing, but each sets its own requirements.
Solo practitioners and new practices
A clinician opening a first office has a professional license and often a strong income history as an associate, but no practice financials. Partners that fund health care tend to look at the provider's credit, experience, the cash being invested and a realistic production estimate. Equipment is usually the easiest piece to finance; working capital for the first months is harder, which is why many new practices set aside cash for payroll before opening day.
Leasing or buying clinical technology
Digital imaging, cone-beam CT and practice software can be superseded within a few years. A lease spreads the cost over the period the practice expects to use the technology and can make an upgrade simpler, while a purchase through an equipment loan leaves the practice owning an asset that may still have resale value. Neither is cheaper by default; compare the total payments, the end-of-term terms and the tax treatment with your accountant.
- Ask whether service and software support are bundled into the payment or billed separately.
- Confirm what the end-of-term options are and how any purchase price is set.
- Check whether the agreement can be ended early, and at what cost.
- Find out whether the financing places a lien on other practice assets.
Local context
Data on local firms places health care alongside the county's other large sectors, and the sector pages cover contractors and restaurants.
By Oakwick Lending Group · Updated