When it comes to selling a dental practice, it’s important to consider its price, determined by both the marketplace and its value. In the case of value, it’s often about the intangible asset of goodwill – where a successful, long-standing practice has value that a brand-new practice just starting out has not yet achieved.
A dental practice is a commodity, like many other businesses, with the national average for the price of a dental practice around 65% of the previous year’s gross receipts. Of course, this percentage can vary from around 50% in rural areas to over 100% in large metro centers. However, there is much more that goes into price than a practice’s tally of receipts. An evaluation of goodwill should be conducted to get a clearer picture of the true value of your practice before selling.
Savvy buyers know that it’s not all about the location or the number of patients within your practice that matters. Only a practice with a great value and a fair price will deliver measurable results. Thus, it’s important to be able to calculate your goodwill to determine a fair price.
What Drives Value in a Dental Practice?
Unlike price which is negotiated, the value is determined by a number of factors. It’s what a practice is worth to someone, given their wants, needs, purchasing power, use supply or demand. The value of intangibles that constitute goodwill include:
- A favorable location
- Going concern value
- Use of seller’s name
- Favorable leasehold
- Covenant not to compete
- Compensation for part managerial and entrepreneurial services
- Patient lists
- Credit records
- Patient care contracts
- Employee contracts
An evaluation that includes this information is typically provided in a report. Often totals are calculated over a ten-year period to provide
a broader snapshot of a practice’s true value. An important factor in the valuation of goodwill is why and how value is achieved. Thus, a comprehensive report would contain background information and documentation so that anyone reviewing it could clearly understand and confirm the data. Buyers will benefit from the likelihood that this goodwill will give continued cash from the retention of patients and the growth of the patient base due to this established reputation.
The Income Approach
While there is still substantial justification for creating a report that separately calculates goodwill value and asset value, the income approach can also be used to value dental practices. For this approach, there is no distinguishing between goodwill value and asset value. It only looks at the return available.
Differing Opinions on Value
Unlike dentistry, dental practice valuation isn’t an exact science. Even highly knowledgeable, skilled appraisers can have vastly different opinions on the value of a practice. However, in every valuation, there should be a clear understanding of the resources used and the appraiser’s credentials. Not all appraisals are created equal, so it’s important to choose an appraiser wisely.
Henry Schein Professional Practice Transitions, Inc. is a national leader in dental practice transitions. A subsidiary of Henry Schein, Inc. they provide expert guidance for selling and buying dental practices, dental practice fees and management, assessing partnership and associateship opportunities, and performing dental practice appraisals and valuations.
