When should I tell my clinic’s doctors that I’m selling?

Physician coverage is one of the first things a buyer asks about. Word travels fast in a small team, so timing matters. Tell them too early and rumours may start. Tell them too late and trust suffers. Aim for a middle path: a quiet conversation with the right people at the right point.

Who hears first

Start with the associates who have worked with you longest and whom a buyer will care most about. Meet them one at a time, in private. Locums can wait until the buyer is serious, and you can give them less detail. A lawyer can tell you what each physician’s agreement says about notice and a change of owner.

What to say and not say

Say that you are exploring a sale, why you are doing it and what happens next. Explain that nothing changes for patients today. Do not promise what a buyer will do about schedules or arrangements, because you cannot know yet. Avoid sharing the buyer’s name until the buyer agrees to it.

Meeting the buyer and keeping shifts steady

Expect the buyer to ask to meet the physicians before closing. Arrange it after the buyer has signed a confidentiality agreement, and keep it brief and friendly. Meanwhile keep the schedule full and deal with absences as you normally would. Buyers will check how steady the clinic is in their own due diligence. For the whole process, see how to sell a medical clinic or practice.