{"id":30704,"date":"2026-04-29T11:10:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T16:10:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aae.org\/specialty\/?p=30704"},"modified":"2026-04-29T11:10:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T16:10:16","slug":"what-to-consider-before-entering-a-practice-partnership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aae.org\/specialty\/what-to-consider-before-entering-a-practice-partnership\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Consider Before Entering a Practice Partnership"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Lisa Radman White<\/em><\/p>\n

If you are joining a private practice with the goal of pursuing a partnership, you need more information than someone who is just accepting a job.\u00a0 Business partnerships are like marriages, so it\u2019s important to choose wisely.\u00a0 \u00a0If you and your potential future partner are having open, detailed conversations about what matters most to each of you, your chances of success increase dramatically.\u00a0 Some important questions to consider are:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Will you be offered an equal partnership?<\/li>\n
  2. How long should you be an associate prior to partnership?<\/li>\n
  3. How and when will the price be set for the partnership?<\/li>\n
  4. What is the Covenant Not to Compete?<\/li>\n
  5. What insurances are accepted, and what are the reimbursement rates?<\/li>\n
  6. What is the exit plan if this arrangement doesn\u2019t work out?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    It is essential to have clear answers to these questions so that you understand whether the opportunity truly aligns with your goals.\u00a0 If a practice owner plans to bring you on with a path to partnership, take the time to ensure it is the right fit for you.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Radman, White & Associates feels strongly that partnerships should be equal so that everyone is on the same level.\u00a0 It rarely makes sense to buy a fraction of a practice, as you want to be equal partners.\u00a0 If you are purchasing less than an equal amount then you are purchasing profit sharing.\u00a0 That might put more profits in your bank account, but it would likely be very challenging to sell.\u00a0 Most people do not want minority ownership in a practice.<\/li>\n
    2. A minimum of one year together gives you a clear sense of whether you want to (or don\u2019t want to) move forward. A timeframe greater than three years is excessive in our opinion, and benefits the owner significantly.\u00a0\u00a0 Eighteen months to two years is what we have found to be the sweet spot for an associate period and would be a fair arrangement for everyone.<\/li>\n
    3. Most often, the price for partnership should be established prior to you picking up a handpiece. The main reason is that you don\u2019t want to spend time marketing yourself and growing the practice, only to realize that you are increasing the purchase price you will eventually pay.\u00a0 You shouldn\u2019t have to pay for the growth you contributed to the practice.\u00a0\u00a0 If there is a substantial queue of patients and you will not be required to grow the practice, then it likely makes sense to set the price after the backlog of patients has been handled.\u00a0\u00a0 Usually, this price is set after you have been with the practice for six months, possibly a year.\u00a0 Even though the partnership is in the future, you should absolutely have access to the tax returns for the last three years so that you can understand the profitability of the practice.\n
        \n
      • When we value a practice, we set the price so that the purchaser is expected to take home associate type wages after paying the overhead and the debt required to own the practice. At a minimum, you should be able to take home 40 percent, sometimes over 50 percent, while paying off the debt and expenses.\u00a0 While most banks loan on a 10- or 15-year term, we like to be conservative and usually examine the numbers based on a 7-year payback.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
      • A CNTC should cover the area around the practice that generates approximately the top 85 percent of referrals. It should not include other offices that might be opened.\u00a0 Rather, it is in place to protect the current referrals and the practice as it stands today, which is reasonable and fair.\u00a0 In most states, these CNTC\u2019s are still enforceable.\u00a0 Before you join a practice in the exact place you want to be long term, you need to consider the implications of this CNTC, should this arrangement not work out.<\/li>\n
      • At a minimum, you want to ensure that the practice you are joining doesn\u2019t accept plans that reimburse at a low rate.\u00a0 You don\u2019t want to be committed to doing work at a rate far below market.\u00a0 For example, we once saw a situation where an endodontist brought in an associate, added plans for the associate, but stayed all fee-for-service for himself.\u00a0 This is not the type of partner I would want.<\/li>\n
      • You enter the practice with the intention of everything working out. However, what if you completely misjudged the situation?\u00a0\u00a0 How do you get out?\u00a0 We include a 30-day notice clause for both the practice and the associate.\u00a0 No one should be forced to work somewhere that isn\u2019t a fit, and this clause allows you to give notice and move elsewhere quickly.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        While these are all important considerations, the absolute nonnegotiable is that you and the endodontist you are considering joining are compatible.\u00a0 Do you both agree that quality comes first?\u00a0 Do you both agree about how patients and staff should be treated?\u00a0 If the two of you do not have aligned work ethics, this is not the practice, nor the partnership for you.\u00a0 Unless there is a shared philosophy, we cannot recommend that you move forward.<\/p>\n

        Partnerships can be incredible.\u00a0 Partnerships provide someone to collaborate with, share overhead with, and bring different strengths to the table.\u00a0 The office can be covered while you are out, allowing both partners to step away when needed while maintaining a structure that can be very satisfying overall.\u00a0\u00a0 Just remember:\u00a0 a partnership is like a marriage, and you certainly wouldn\u2019t marry someone you don\u2019t mesh with.\u00a0 So, gather as much information as you can before making that commitment.<\/p>\n

        Lisa Radman White is the president of Radman, White & Associates, Inc., a firm dedicated exclusively to endodontic practice transitions. The company was founded in 1998 after her father discovered firsthand how difficult it was to sell his endodontic practice as the transition market did not understand an endodontic practice. \u00a0Radman, White specializes in endodontic transitions.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        By Lisa Radman White If you are joining a private practice with the goal of pursuing a partnership, you need more information than someone who is just accepting a job.\u00a0…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[158],"tags":[],"feature":[236],"class_list":["post-30704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-practice-management","feature-paperpoint"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat to Consider Before Entering a Practice Partnership - 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