During this session, Curtis Lane, founding partner of MTS Health Partners, moderated a panel that collected insights from physician practice management (PPM) founders who partnered with private equity firms to expand their businesses and realize the full potential of their practices.

Session panelists included:

• Sulman Ahmed, DMD, Founder, Chairman & CEO, DECA Dental Group
• Adam Elberg, Co-Founder & Managing Director, 3 Boomerang Capital
• Deepak Kapoor, MD, Chairman & CECO, Solaris Health
• Steven Madreperla, MD, PhD, President & CEO, PRISM Vision Group
• Curtis Lane, Founding Partner, MTS Health Partners (Moderator)

IN DEPTH

Key takeaways included:

1. PPM founders can retain independence and stay true to their vision for their medical practice while exponentially scaling their businesses by partnering with private equity funds.
2. Private equity partners not only deliver financial and operational expertise to PPM businesses that doctors may not have organically, but these partnerships also lend founders the chance to diversify their net worth sources, which is often tied up exclusively in their practice.
3. Private equity partners can also assist by connecting the practice in question with powerful board members and advisors, formalizing the practice’s books to ensure the full value of the practice is captured in its financials and providing expertise on corporate matters, such as determining the most efficient structures for expanding a medical practice geographically.
4. Founders need not simply sell to their highest bidder; rather, founders should seek out private equity partners who understand and share in their vision for expansion while retaining independence. Founders should also lean on private equity partners to understand financial and creditor covenants.