Therapists Ownership Strategies

By Paul Martin, PT, MPT, CBI, M&AMI

As we analyze the best therapy businesses in the country, we are seeing more and more staff therapists becoming “owners” within the companies in which they work. This is a great strategy to retain your most valuable asset—your clinical staff. The challenge is to make sure that you structure these relationships in order to align your interests with your therapist partners, and to protect the parent company from potential legal issues in the future.

The most common form of partnership, if your state laws allow it, is to create a separate Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) in which the parent company becomes the majority owner, and the staff therapist becomes a minority owner. Be sure that ownership is purchased and never given away, and that the resources that are being provided by the parent company are properly valued and paid for by the newly formed company. These partnerships become a great way to build value in your company and create a strong foundation for future growth. 

Paul Martin, PT, MPT, CBI, M&AMI, president of Martin Healthcare Advisors, is a nationally recognized expert on health care business development and succession planning. As a consultant, mentor, and speaker, Paul assists business owners with building value in their companies. He has authored The Ultimate Success Guide, numerous industry articles, and weekly Friday Morning Moments. He can be reached at pmartin@martinhealthcareadvisors.com.