dental and medical office merger possible?

[dentopia11]

i know this is probably not done too often but im curious to know whether anyone here knows whether it would make sense for a dental and medical clinic to run as a single organization for the purpose of sharing overhead and revenue?

I realize that dental overhead is almost twice that of a typical medical clinic but if the overhead is being shared within a single family, would it make sense to run as two separate organizations or a single one?

[future_doc]

Long ago, on Nun's Island, Verdun, Montreal, there were dental & medical practices in one large office where they shared overhead, like rent, reception, etc but I believe revenues were not shared. Ultimately, this model was abandoned. And the dentists had to go into bankruptcy as their expenses were way too high in relation to their revenues. The patients were not aware and they continued their practice on the same premises only in smaller space.

[dentopia11]

hmm okk i will probably have to check with an accountant to see if this makes sense...in the case im talking about though, revenues would be shared as well. i guess the benefits of operating as a single organization are shared expenses on a few things but most expenses will end up being separate due to differences in equipment so not sure how much savings can be had if the overhead is shared.

futuredoc, in the example you mention, why do you think the dental office went bankrupt?...generally, dental practice revenue is sufficient to keep afloat the practice on its own...im guessing the merger was bad for the dental practice because of higher overhead than if it had been running independently.

 

also, im curious if its legally allowed for a medical practice to make referrals to an in-house dentist for procedures such as early childhood caries, tooth pain e.t.c im guessing as long as this does not exclude a physician from refusing any patients that walk in, it should be fine.

[future_doc]

Lack of any business experience was a factor as was renting too much space. Then, there is also the cost of the dental chairs and equipment. It also was in an isolated area with many transients living. A business model based on wishful thinking without any experience is a recipe for disaster. Being smart in a healthcare field has absolutely nothing to do with having business skills.

[spontaneouscombustion]

Theres a practice in town here that does just that. Husband-wife team, one being an MD and the other a DDS.

[future_doc]

That works well. Some buy a small building in a good location and rent out any surplus space to people in healthcare.