Showing posts with label Medical practice funding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Medical practice funding. Show all posts

Monday, December 12, 2022

Short-term vs. long-term small business funding for medical practices

Just like many other small businesses, it’s not uncommon for medical practices to rely on financing to expand or grow, cover costs during a low-cash-flow period, or upgrade your equipment or services. But what kind of funding is best for you? Between banks, SBA loans, and alternative funding, it can be difficult to choose the funding that best suits your practice’s needs.

One of the easiest ways to narrow down your options is to determine whether you need short- or long-term financing. In this post, we will explore short term vs. long-term loans for medical practices to help you determine which option is best for your specific situation.

Let’s take a closer look:





When is short-term or long-term financing ideal?



Short-term medical business loans are usually issued for smaller amounts and can typically be acquired more quickly and with less stringent documentation than long-term loans. Short-term small business funding is best used to finance opportunities that have a more immediate return on investment, such as hiring a new staff member or upgrading your practice management software. Short-term financing can also provide a quick infusion of working capital that can help you bridge the gap between insurance payments, invest in marketing your medical practice, or kickstart your growth.

Long-term medical business loans are typically offered for higher amounts and lower rates, making them ideal for large purchases or investments. The approval process takes longer and the requirements are stricter, so you’ll need to be able to demonstrate why you need the money, that it will be put to good use, and how you plan to pay it back. For this reason, long-term small business loans are best used for investing in longer-term ventures that may not have an immediate return on investment, but are necessary for growth, such as purchasing your officespace rather than renting it.
How medical practices can use short- and long-term funding

Medical practices can use both short- and long-term funding for different purposes. Each type of funding is suited to specific purchases or investments, so make sure you select the type of funding that is best suited to the purchase you want to make.
Short-term business loans

Short-term business loans are ideal for smaller expenses that you can act on and pay off quickly, such as:
  • Start up costs
  • Bridging cash flow gaps
  • Purchasing inventory or medical supplies in bulk for a discount
  • Covering costs of emergency repairs or other unexpected expenses
  • Hiring new employees
  • Purchasing equipment, tech, software
  • General working capital
  • Boosting your marketing
  • Improving patient services, such as upgrading your services to include online booking, online paperwork, updated wait times, quick responses to inquiries, free wifi in your waiting room, or extended hours

Long-term business loans


Long-term business loans are typically better suited to large expenses or purchases that you can pay down slowly, including:
  • Purchasing real estate
  • Acquiring another practice—this is a great way to expand your existing practice or avoid some of the pitfalls of starting your own from scratch.
  • Building or renovating facilities

Which type of term loan is right for my medical practice?


The type of funding that’s right for you, whether short-term or long-term funding, depends on multiple factors, such as how quickly you need the money, how much funding you require, what you plan to use your funding for, as well as details important to the lenders, such as your financial history and the financial health of your medical practice.


15% Off Medical Practice Supplies


VIEW ALL



Manual Prescription Pad (Large - Yellow)


Manual Prescription Pad (Large - Pink)

Manual Prescription Pads (Bright Orange)

Manual Prescription Pads (Light Pink)

Manual Prescription Pads (Light Yellow)

Manual Prescription Pad (Large - Blue)

Manual Prescription Pad (Large - White)


VIEW ALL

Wednesday, March 9, 2022

9 Challenges funding can help your medical practice overcome

Medical practice funding is often best used to support growth initiatives that will increase your practice’s revenue—thus increasing the chance that you’ll be able to pay off your loan on time.

However, sometimes medical practices face challenges or unexpected expenses and may need funding to help cover these costs without compromising cash flow. In this case, it may be even more difficult to get the funding you need from a traditional lender like a bank or the SBA. With a simpler online application and flexible approval requirements, alternative medical practice funding can help you meet these challenges and continue to grow your practice.

Here are 8 common challenges faced by medical practices that alternative funding can help you overcome:

1. High patient turnover


Patients come and go, which can lead to unpredictable cash flow. Funding can help you boost your marketing to pull in a steady stream of new patients, as well as take on more staff, offer more services, or renovate your space to retain your existing ones.

2. Burnout


In a volume-driven industry, seeing more patients per day can increase your revenue, but it can also increase your risk of burnout and erode the relationship between you and your patients. To prevent burnout, medical practice funding can be used to:
  • Take on more practitioners or administrative staff so you can reduce workloads
  • Invest in time-saving technologies to improve your workflow and simplify administration
  • Create wellness programs to encourage your staff to engage in self-care

3. Hiring qualified staff


Hiring qualified staff can be difficult for smaller practices that may not have the budget to compete with the pay and benefits offered by larger organizations. This can limit your practice growth and make it harder to implement team-based care strategies. Funding can help you make a competitive offer to a potential new hire so that you can take on staff, grow your practice, and increase your revenue.

4. Changing patient behavior


Patients in 2022 are demanding pricing transparency, remote appointments, online scheduling and test results, and shorter wait times. These features can be difficult and expensive to implement.

Alternative funding can be used to hire a professional who can help you securely implement these features. You can also use funding to set up services like free wifi, extended hours, or text alerts with wait times so you can better meet patients’ changing needs.

5. Size of practice


In private practice, operating costs are the responsibility of the sole owner. In a group practice, operating costs are shared between all owners. Funding can help you fill in cash flow gaps without straining your bottom line, regardless of how many owners you have, so you can stay focused on providing top quality care.

6. Maintaining inventory


Medical supplies are expensive but essential, and strict personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements for medical businesses after the COVID-19 pandemic can cause additional strain, especially cash flow is limited due to slow insurance payouts or difficulty collecting payment from patients. Funding can help you maintain a stock of the inventory and supplies you need without putting additional strain on your bottom line.

7. Purchasing and repairing equipment


Medical practices in all specialties require standard equipment like exam tables and computer software, along with x-ray machines, defibrillators, EKG machines, lab equipment, imaging equipment, and other specialized equipment. These items can be prohibitively expensive to purchase up front, and repairs can also be costly. Medical practice funding can help you make these purchases or complete repairs with less impact on your cash flow.

8. Improving technology


New technology can help keep your practice competitive and on the cutting edge, but it can be costly and difficult to implement while your staff adjusts to the new system. Funding can help you improve your practice’s tech so you can boost your efficiency and offer new services like remote appointments without compromising your security.

9. COVID-19


Health care businesses are among the most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with nearly 95% of businesses reporting a large or moderate negative impact between April 26 and June 27, 2020. Many practices are still struggling to operate under changing restrictions, with fewer patients allowed inside at one time, staffing shortages, service restrictions, and increased expenses for PPE and other preventive measures.

Alternative medical practice can help you meet the challenges of the post-COVID-19 era, including staff turnover or shortages due to illness, offering new services, and covering increased costs.

Find the medical practice funding you need

Multiple types of physician business loans are available from a variety of lenders, including the SBA, banks, and alternative online lenders like Greenbox Capital. With a streamlined online application and flexible approval requirements, alternative funding is often the most ideal for covering unexpected expenses and meeting the unique challenges of running a medical practice.


15% Off Medical Practice Supplies


VIEW ALL



Manual Prescription Pad (Large - Yellow)


Manual Prescription Pad (Large - Pink)

Manual Prescription Pads (Bright Orange)

Manual Prescription Pads (Light Pink)

Manual Prescription Pads (Light Yellow)

Manual Prescription Pad (Large - Blue)

Manual Prescription Pad (Large - White)


VIEW ALL