Very curious about multiple offices

[bonvivant07]

I have been looking more and more into Podiatry and shadowing Podiatrists.

I was looking to shadow another one when I go home for break so I have been browsing a lot online. I found out something very interesting, a lot of podiatrists I looked at have more than one office and sometimes even 3 offices in different areas.

Why is that? Is there not enough patient base in one area? Some of these places I have looked at are fairly middle sized cities so there is a decent population. Isn't it harder to have two offices? Or is one office more of a check in point, meaning, it is just a sort of a satellite office for patients to meet and get small procedures done and bigger procedures are done at the main office? Doesn't it cost twice as much? It is more of a necessity or an expansion? Just curious because I don't see this very often with dentists or doctors, and when I do, it's usually in really small rural areas. Thanks

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[PADPM]

I have been looking more and more into Podiatry and shadowing Podiatrists.

I was looking to shadow another one when I go home for break so I have been browsing a lot online. I found out something very interesting, a lot of podiatrists I looked at have more than one office and sometimes even 3 offices in different areas.

Why is that? Is there not enough patient base in one area? Some of these places I have looked at are fairly middle sized cities so there is a decent population. Isn't it harder to have two offices? Or is one office more of a check in point, meaning, it is just a sort of a satellite office for patients to meet and get small procedures done and bigger procedures are done at the main office? Doesn't it cost twice as much? It is more of a necessity or an expansion? Just curious because I don't see this very often with dentists or doctors, and when I do, it's usually in really small rural areas. Thanks

While I will agree that most dentists don't have mulitple offices, it's probably because of the huge cost of opening a dental office due to the expense of equipment.

Contrary to your observations, in my geographic area, most specialists (not GPs/FPs/internist) have multiple offices to survive and serve different communities.

It's called opportunity. You go where you are needed, you go where the population is underserved and you go where there is an opportunity.

In many areas, podiatry is still an underserved profession, and those doctors opening satellite offices are simply fulfilling a need in the community and taking a smart business opportunity approach.

What I never understood, is a SOLO practitioner having multiple offices. That means one doctor has multiple locations, with overhead at all these locations, but can only be providing services at one location at a time. That also means, while he/she is paying overhead at the other locations, those offices are generating ZERO dollars. That means he has NO offices that are actually busy.

It makes much more sense to have multiple offices only if you have multiple doctors and all offices are running simultaneously and generating income.

McDonalds didn't become successful by having one site did they?

 

[bonvivant07]

While I will agree that most dentists don't have mulitple offices, it's probably because of the huge cost of opening a dental office due to the expense of equipment.

Contrary to your observations, in my geographic area, most specialists (not GPs/FPs/internist) have multiple offices to survive and serve different communities.

It's called opportunity. You go where you are needed, you go where the population is underserved and you go where there is an opportunity.

In many areas, podiatry is still an underserved profession, and those doctors opening satellite offices are simply fulfilling a need in the community and taking a smart business opportunity approach.

What I never understood, is a SOLO practitioner having multiple offices. That means one doctor has multiple locations, with overhead at all these locations, but can only be providing services at one location at a time. That also means, while he/she is paying overhead at the other locations, those offices are generating ZERO dollars. That means he has NO offices that are actually busy.

It makes much more sense to have multiple offices only if you have multiple doctors and all offices are running simultaneously and generating income.

McDonalds didn't become successful by having one site did they?

Do you know why some do exactly that? I have seen several podiatrists who are doing exactly that. for instance, the one I was looking at would spend Mon Tues and Friday morning at one office, and Wed, Thursday and friday afternoon at the other office.

 

[347932]

It's called opportunity. You go where you are needed, you go where the population is underserved and you go where there is an opportunity.

In many areas, podiatry is still an underserved profession, and those doctors opening satellite offices are simply fulfilling a need in the community and taking a smart business opportunity approach.

This!

 

[PADPM]

Do you know why some do exactly that? I have seen several podiatrists who are doing exactly that. for instance, the one I was looking at would spend Mon Tues and Friday morning at one office, and Wed, Thursday and friday afternoon at the other office.

No, as I stated I can not figure out this rationale. Despite AnkleBreaker's thoughts, I have seen MANY DPM's who have more than one office and share no expenses, do not sublease the space, etc. They are SOLO practioners with multiple offices.

Think about that for one moment. That means the doctor has multiple rents, multiple electric bills, water bills, (all utility bills), liability insurance bills for the property, x-ray equipment for each office, computers for each office, podiatric chairs and equipment for each office, instruments for each office, waiting room chairs for each office, medical supplies for each office, phone systems for each office, maintenance for each office and so on and so on, etc.

That also means that none of the offices can be very busy. Yes, each office may be busy for one day or two, but the office obviously isn't busy enough to fill the week. Ideally, you want to have each of your offices (if you have more than one) up and running at the same time with at least one doctor at each location simultaneously. That's how you maximize your investment and make your practice accessible to patients and doctor referrals.

If you have an office in Happyville, and a patient keeps trying to make an appointment but you're never there, do you think the patient is going to keep trying or find someone else? If a PCP has a patient with an urgency/emergency that he/she wants to send "right over" and you're not in the office that day, how do you expect to build your practice at that location? That PCP will FIND another DPM who is available and reliable when needed, not part time.

There are ALWAYS exceptions when things work or are necessary. However, as a general rule the only time I advocate satellite or multiple offices is when there are multiple doctors so the offices are all open at the same time generating income and serving patients. One doctor with multiple locations to me is a poor business plan. You can't be two places at once.

 

[shadesofgrey]

I shadowed several solo practicing DPMs in my area and all three split time between various offices in different cities. None of them shared office space although they were small offices, normally with only 2 or 3 patient rooms. I am from a fairly rural area so I am assuming they are unable to support themselves with patients from one city. One of the docs would drive over an hour (1 way) to one of his satellite offices every week!! Pretty crazy if you ask me...

 

[dtrack22]

One of the docs would drive over an hour (1 way) to one of his satellite offices every week!! Pretty crazy if you ask me...

Don't move to a big city. It'll take you an hour just to get 20-30 miles...

 

[PADPM]

I see no problem commuting 1 hour or more to a satellite office IF you have associates or partners that are generating income/revenue and treating patients at your other offices at the same time.

If you have an office 1 or 1.5 hours away, and that office generates enough income to warrant it's existence, that's fine, as long as your other offices are not suffering at the same time.

I know many successful practices with multiple locations all over the place, but each office is always staffed at all times. Some of our offices aren't exactly close, but we make it worth our while to keep each office in existence.

 

[boblite]

Could it be sometimes acquisition of real estate and tax breaks ?

 

[Creflo]

If reimbursements are so poor how can pods afford to have a location that doesn't operate (by any specialty) every day? There is a location near me that operates two days per week. I hear how bad reimbursements are, but this is happening so maybe they aren't as low as people say?