Orthotown October 2021 - 18

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Renting From a GP?
Townies discuss the pros and cons of working at multiple practices-especially out of a dentist's offi ce
Ortho965
Member Since: 08/29/17
Post: 1 of 9
I am considering renting an offi ce/chair from a GP in my area one to two days a week while he
is not in the offi ce and while I work as an associate three to four days a week for an orthodontist.
I would rent for now while increasing/expanding my patient pool in order to eventually open my
own offi ce. Is this a good idea, and how would I proceed?
For example, which charting system would I obtain for a laptop in order to be portable?
KCOrtho2021
Member Since: 02/11/16
Post: 2 of 9
Materials etc.? Any feedback is greatly appreciated! ■
Renting from a GP can be tricky. Potentially, it can hurt your practice in the long term. You
8/4/2021
will have some GPs who will not mind referring to you, but others who will have a problem with
it. This is very diffi cult to fi gure out ahead of time. If you plan on staying in the area long-term,
I recommend waiting until you fi nd a space you can own or rent independently.
I rented from a GP early in my career and although it was easier fi nancially, I think it was
detrimental long term. I was right out of school with very little money, so I negotiated a low rental
rate. Ultimately, I think the rent I paid him was too low and it probably wasn't worth the hassle
factor for him. It did not build my relationship with him as I hoped it would, and it likely hurt
my relationship with other practices that I wasn't aware of. I did quickly fi nd my own space and
my practice is doing well. But looking back, I would have either waited or made sure the GP was
a great referral source with a large patient base before I would consider that again. ■
8/12/2021
Ortho07
Member Since: 08/31/08
Post: 3 of 9
I completely agree with this. When I started my career, I worked for a few different GP offi ces.
Would never do it again. I also feel many other dentists would not refer because you work in a GP
offi ce. I mean, if a periodontist worked within an ortho offi ce, would you refer your patients to him?
If you currently work three to four days a week for an ortho offi ce, fi nd a space and open your
Chad Foster
Member Since: 08/07/11
Post: 4 of 9
ucla98
Member Since: 09/28/07
Post: 5 of 9
own place ASAP and do whatever you can to get that offi ce as busy as possible. ■
Unless it is an unbelievable opportunity with a GP or group of GPs you trust, I, for the reasons
others have stated and more, would be skeptical of it. ■
When you rent an offi ce space from a GP, don't expect that it is going to be busy like a
8/21/2021
8/22/2021
regular ortho offi ce. I knew about this limitation and I still went ahead and rented a space from
my wife's former dental classmate, who is a GP. I had some extra days and I didn't want to stay
home doing nothing on those days. It's a good way to earn additional income without having to
spend $200-300K to build an offi ce. This GP offi ce space helps generate additional income on
top of the two ortho offi ces that I already own. I also started another one at my sister's GP offi ce.
So I have four total. In addition to these four offi ces, I also travel to work part time at two corp
offi ces. Currently, I travel to six offi ces and work 21 days/month.
I've worked at these two GP offi ces (my sister's offi ce and my wife's dental classmate's offi ce)
18 OCTOBER 2021 // orthotown.com

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