What should I ask about a chiropractic clinic’s care plans that patients prepaid?

Start with the list. Ask for every active prepaid plan, showing what each patient paid, what was used and what remains. A clean list is a good sign. A vague answer is a reason to slow down.

Then follow the money. Find out whether prepayments were held separately, spent on running costs, or counted as sales when received. Your accountant can tell you how the books treat them and what that does to the clinic’s real profit.

Ask how the sale would deal with these plans. Would the buyer take on the remaining visits and receive an adjustment, or would the seller refund patients? Get that in writing in the purchase agreement, not in conversation. Think about the patients, too. Ask how many plans belong to people who have stopped coming, whether any terms were promised to specific patients, and what the clinic’s refund practice has been. Check the plan’s wording for expiry, transfer to another chiropractor, and pausing. Unclear promises are the ones that turn into complaints after closing. Ask what the clinic does when a patient with a prepaid plan moves away or passes away. The way the clinic has treated those cases tells you how generous or strict its practice is, and what patients might expect from the new owner.

Key takeaways

• Ask for a list of every prepaid plan with amounts paid and visits left.
• Find out where the prepaid money went and how it was recorded.
• Settle in the purchase agreement who delivers remaining visits.