@Aster “I can’t envision a dentist or surgeon losing money.”
The overhead of a surgical practice is crazy. You have a whole team of people to support (receptionist, nurses/medical assistants, specialized technicians, PAs, billing/insurance specialists, schedulers, practice managers/administrators etc. and all of their expenses like employer taxes, healthcare/dental, retirement contributions etc.) then there’s a ton of other costs (medical supplies, malpractice insurance, rent, business insurance, liscencing fees and dues, electronic healthcare systems, the digital backup services, the IT support, leases on specialized machines that cost tens of thousands of dollars, basic office supplies and equipment, computers, printers, specialized phone lines and data lines, HIPAA and OSHA compliance training courses, medical waste disposal, laundry services for patient gowns, marketing expenses etc.). You’re talking several hundred dollars a business hour in overhead costs for a practice.
In our case, we make our money from procedures. Yes we bill for office visits, but we probably take a loss (or possibly break even) when you factor in the overhead costs for the MD’s time in that room. No-shows for a procedure are devistating to the bottom line, as is having to change a procedure from one scheduled for 2 hours into something that takes 30 minutes, with the surgeon left twiddling his thumbs for an hour-and-a-half.