Thinking about joining a medical practice? You obviously need to perform a due diligence investigation to help obtain basic financial information.
It's important to understand the data and assess your compatibility with the practice. Here are some key items that need to be examined:
If you're starting a new medical practice, you may incur several different types of "pre-opening expenses." By pre-opening expenses, we mean those that are incurred during the period before the new practice is actually up and running and earning revenue. Special federal income tax rules apply to such pre-opening costs.
Studies show that only a handful of adults are visiting and using information from websites that rate physicians. For example, more than 80 percent of California-based adults say they use the Internet for health-related information, such as medical symptoms and diagnoses, according to a Harris Interactive poll commissioned by the California HealthCare Foundation.
Let's say a partner in your medical practice exits partway through the firm's tax year. How are partnership tax items for that year allocated between the departing partner and the remaining partners? There is more than one way to handle this situation. In general, three methods are allowed for making such allocations.
Nursing homes and personal-care facilities present many health and safety risks for their employees. In fact, combined with patient violence against employees, the situation has become so serious that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has made nursing homes a top priority for safety inspections.
When it's time to negotiate or renegotiate a physician's employment contract, there are critical issues that must be understood and settled. The fulfillment and career potential of the phsician and the success of the practice depend on it.
It takes years to build up a successful medical practice that is respected and valued by the community. It can also take time to find a qualified buyer at a satisfactory price. However, you can take several steps now to help provide a smooth transition when you finally put out a "for sale" sign.
Here are eight quick suggestions for laying the groundwork:
Every year, studies show that many employees are injured while carrying out their duties. Some even die from job-related illnesses or injuries.
Over time, doctors develop their own unique style of practicing medicine. The same is true of medical groups. They develop a style that involves creating a work culture and passing information about it on to staff members. A medical practice's approach to issues such as sick leave and overtime pay are defined and revised over time until they become ingrained in the office's culture.
Since physicians are the revenue producers of a busy medical practice, there can be a temptation to add doctors to ease patient loads and increase the bottom line. But while bringing on more practitioners can reduce workloads and create economies of scale, it shouldn't be a snap decision.
