Don’t sell your practice. Monetize it.

Private practitioners concerned about larger hospitals and health systems threatening their business—or offering to buy them out—aren’t unjustified in their fears. When the big boys merge or acquire each other, the inevitable result is a larger, less wasteful, more efficient business enterprise. That puts pressure on smaller, independent providers to do the same—if not sell altogether.

While it might be tempting to sell your practice in the face of what seems like a good offer, the best defense is a good offense. A less “corporate” care model marketed on the promise of greater individual attention cannot come at the expense of a forward--thinking, more efficient business model. It’s time for private practitioners to take a closer look at their systems, rather than sell the farm.

Outdated operational models

When hospitals merge, or larger systems acquire independent practices, it invariably means the acquiring entity found room to optimize the business model of the provider it acquired. For private practitioners, that should serve as a reality check: how much more efficient can your systems be?

For those who haven’t had an outsider offer a thorough assessment of their business model—for years or decades, if ever—the answer might be “a lot.”

The idea of buying a colonial home and sticking a sign on the lawn declaring “patients welcome” was enough to attract new business for a time, but that model is outdated. Telehealth appointments, social media, branding, systems, AI, and mobile apps have transformed the way patients find and stay connected with their providers.

Providers who understand attention and compliance know the value of harnessing the latest technology to optimize their systems.¹ Unfortunately, they’re in the minority, especially among those who inherited a brick--and--mortar business from a family member with an outdated idea of how to build and maintain a brand.

The temptation to sell

What happens when a big provider presents a struggling doctor or dentist with a check that represents one, two, or three years’ worth of revenues?

Too often, the private practitioner takes the fast cash, not realizing they’ve been lowballed. What an inefficient practitioner might consider a “good offer” would seem paltry to someone who has already optimized their operations. If the systems were already efficient, there would be nothing for the larger business to optimize—and the offer would be much higher!

The risk in “selling the farm” is that the reliable stream of income a private practice represents is no longer available to the doctor or dentist. The relatively small buyout check they received is gone sooner than expected. What happens next, when a private practitioner’s money runs out and they have nothing to generate new income? Typically, they grow unhappy in a matter of years. Meanwhile, those who optimize their business are the happiest. They have something that works for them, even when they aren’t “working.”

Consider the dilemma of an actual farmer. Is it better to sell the farm that produces crops, or to optimize the farm so it doesn’t need the farmer present at all times while the crop is produced?

For private practitioners who have put off operational efficiencies for years, the clock is ticking. Those who are leaking revenue will be tempted to sell. But that road can only lead to one thing: with no cash crop and no consistent revenue, they’ll wind up with less money than they had before. 

Editor's note: This article appeared in the June 2026 print edition of Dental Economics magazine. Dentists in North America are eligible for a complimentary print subscription. Sign up here.

Reference

1. Vigario P. Attention and compliance: the necessary yin and yang of growing a brand. Forbes. February 17, 2026. https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinesscouncil/2026/02/17/attention-and-compliance-the-necessary-yin-and-yang-of-growing-a-brand/