Maplevale Credit, a small-business funding service in Johnson City, TN, explains how buyers value a physical therapy, chiropractic or optometry practice in general terms: owner earnings, assets, payer mix and referrals, and how the valuation feeds a funding request. No multiples or prices are given; example figures are invented.
Practices counted in Washington County, TN
County Business Patterns counted 77 employer practices of chiropractors, physical and occupational therapists, optometrists and similar practitioners (NAICS 6213) in Washington County, TN in 2023, 53.2% with fewer than five employees. Nonemployer Statistics separately counted 287 in the same code without paid employees in 2024.
For the funding shapes an operating practice uses, see physical therapy equipment financing.
Three ways a practice is valued
- Earnings: what the practice earns for an owner, after adding back the seller's own pay, perks and one-time costs.
- Assets: equipment, supplies and receivables, valued at what they are worth today.
- Market: what similar practices have sold for, if reliable sales data exists.
Illustration only, invented figures: net income $95,000, plus owner salary $110,000, depreciation $18,000 and a one-time move cost $7,000, gives owner earnings of $230,000 ($95,000 + $110,000 + $18,000 + $7,000). A valuer applies a method to that figure; this article does not give multiples.
Records a valuer and a partner will both read
| Record | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Three years of tax returns and profit-and-loss statements | Earnings over time |
| Visits or exams per week, by provider | Volume behind the earnings |
| Collections by payer | How dependent the practice is on any one payer |
| Referral sources | Where new patients come from |
| Equipment list with ages | What will need replacing soon |
| The lease | Whether the practice can stay |
Ask the seller for these before an offer; a seller who cannot produce them is telling you something about the practice.
Buying a physical therapy clinic
Buying a physical therapy clinic means buying its referral sources, its therapists' relationships with patients, its payer contracts and its equipment. Ask how many referrals come from the top few sources; a clinic that depends on one referrer is worth less if that referrer leaves.
Optometry business loans, explained for Johnson City, TN owners
Optometry business loans for a purchase are term loans reviewed on the practice's collections, optical sales and the buyer's license and experience. The optical shop's inventory can be valued and funded separately.
Business loans for chiropractic business, explained for Johnson City, TN owners
Business loans for a chiropractic business follow the same pattern: a term loan for the purchase, equipment financing for tables and imaging, and working capital for the first months while claims for the new owner start to pay.
Business loans for physical therapy business: a Johnson City, TN primer
For a physical therapy business, a partner reads visits per week, payer mix, the therapists' contracts and the lease. If key therapists are not staying after the sale, the earnings figure behind the valuation may not hold.
How much does it cost to buy an optometry practice? Practical notes from Johnson City, TN
Maplevale Credit does not publish practice prices. What an optometry practice costs depends on its collections, optical sales, equipment, lease and the method the valuer uses. Get an independent valuation and the equipment list before agreeing a price.
Questions for a selling practitioner in Johnson City, TN
- Which referral sources sent patients in the last year, and will they stay?
- Which therapists or doctors have agreed to stay after the sale?
- How are visits split between plans and self-pay?
- What equipment is owned outright, and what is leased?
- Can the clinic lease pass to a buyer, and for how many more years?
Optometry equipment financing: what Johnson City, TN owners weigh
Optometry equipment (exam lanes, refraction systems, imaging) can be financed separately from the purchase through equipment financing. County figures are on Johnson City, TN Census figures; other articles are on the articles page.
By Maplevale Credit · Updated
