Find out how IDSOs help dentists unlock practice value, gain support, and grow faster while retaining leadership and clinical autonomy.
Sponsored ContentBy Chip Fichtner, Co-Founder of Large Practice Sales
Most doctors do not realize that they can sell 51%+ of their practice for cash at today’s long-term tax rates to a silent partner, which can add extraordinary value to their practices. Doctors continue to lead their practices as owners, with full autonomy, for years or decades. Millions of cash up front can secure their financial future, but the real benefits come from a silent partner’s resources, accelerating the value of the doctor’s retained ownership over time. It may be far more lucrative to be a 49% owner of your practice than a 100% owner.
There are over 1000 Invisible Dental Support Organizations (IDSO) quietly partnering with practices, both GP and all specialties, in all 50 states today. Doctors not only monetize a part of their life’s work at today’s record values, but they also gain access to resources that only a larger entity can provide to their practice. Some IDSOs are over 35 years old, and some have over 800 practice partners across all 50 U.S. states.
IDSOs are silent partners because they do not attempt to homogenize or micromanage their partner practices. Doctors have the freedom to continue leading their practices as they see fit, with valuable support. All IDSO partner doctors will retain clinical autonomy. But doctors who choose their IDSO partner wisely will also make all personnel decisions, decide which supplies and labs to use, which procedures to perform, and which payers to accept. They get support and help, not oversight and interference.
The IDSO partners will reduce a doctor’s administrative burden by handling banking, accounting, payroll, benefits administration, compliance, credentialing, tax, IT support, and vendor and payer negotiations. But doctors still make the decisions.
Due to their size, the silent partner IDSOs are paying 25% less for supplies, 50% less for implants, 40% less for clear aligners, and 10% less for better team benefits. But more importantly, many of the IDSOs' partner practices are reimbursed from private and government payers at higher rates than independent dentists.
The IDSOs also have teams dedicated to supporting their partner practices in recruiting, marketing, technology adoption, and other services that help reduce headaches, accelerate growth, and increase profitability. IDSOs help their doctor partner practices recruit team members and associates nationally. Many IDSOs have dozens of marketing experts on their teams, driving new patients to their partner practices. Doctors are free to focus on practice leadership, culture, and superior patient care.
The IDSOs are focused on growth. They are eager to partner with younger doctors who have expansion plans that would benefit from their larger partner’s capital and resources. Hundreds of doctors across the country under 45 will partner with IDSOs in 2025. Doctors with a growth plan can more rapidly grow their practices and practice value without personal risk.
Older doctors gain a known exit strategy over time that will achieve far higher initial and long-term value than a traditional doctor-to-doctor transition or a 100% sale to a traditional DSO.
IDSO partnership is not a short-term exit, but rather a wealth-building opportunity for doctors of all ages. Thousands of doctors will partner with IDSOs in 2025, including GPs and all specialties. When properly advised, they will have multiple qualified IDSO bidders from which to achieve the highest values and choose the best long-term cultural fit.
Doctors will qualify for a high-value IDSO partnership if they have growing practices with annual collections of at least $1.5 million. Values in IDSO partnerships can be 2x to 4x higher than in a traditional transition. IDSO partnership is not a transition—it is a long-term, mutually beneficial partnership.
Every doctor should understand the potential value of their practice in an IDSO partnership today. It is valuable education. An IDSO partnership may or may not be right for a doctor today, but ultimately, larger practices will join an IDSO or compete with many others.
Doctors are invited to contact me at www.LargePracticeSales.com, text 972-904-7705, call 954-300-2644, or email [email protected]. Let’s have a confidential, no obligation conversation. Promise you will learn something new!
