Mesaside Advances, a small-business funding broker in Cheyenne, Wyoming, helps Laramie County medical, dental and chiropractic practices compare equipment financing, term loans and lines of credit for clinical equipment, office fit-outs and insurance payment gaps. The county had 243 ambulatory health care employer establishments in 2023 (Census). Lending partners make credit decisions and set rates and terms.
| Typical needs | Clinical equipment, office fit-outs, payroll during insurance lag |
|---|---|
| Types discussed | Equipment financing, term loan, line of credit |
| Laramie County outpatient care | 243 ambulatory health care employer establishments in 2023 (Census CBP 2023) |
| Physician and dental offices | 71 and 42 employer establishments in 2023 (same source) |
| Sector payroll | Health care and social assistance: $508.7 million, the county's largest in 2023 |
| Office | 1900 Thomes Ave, Cheyenne, WY 82001 · (307) 368-2257 |
Laramie County health care in the numbers
Health care and social assistance had the largest annual payroll of any sector in Laramie County in 2023, $508.7 million (U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023). Within it, ambulatory health care, the outpatient category that includes physician, dental and other practitioner offices, counted 243 employer establishments with 2,144 paid employees in the March pay period.
| Category | Establishments | Paid employees | Share with fewer than 5 employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offices of physicians (NAICS 6211) | 71 | 771 | 64.8% |
| Offices of dentists (NAICS 6212) | 42 | 286 | 47.6% |
| All ambulatory health care (NAICS 621) | 243 | 2,144 | 58.0% |
Another 366 outpatient health care businesses had no paid employees in 2024, including 92 physician offices and 14 dental offices (U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics 2024). These come from a different program and year and should not be added to the employer counts; they do show how many solo practitioners work in the county.
Healthcare and medical equipment financing
Imaging systems, dental chairs and delivery units, sterilizers, lasers, chiropractic tables and practice-management software are usually financed with equipment loans or leases. The equipment secures the funding, so partners look at what it is, its expected life and whether it holds resale value. Technology that dates quickly, such as some imaging and software, is often leased so it can be replaced at the end of the term.
Bring the vendor quote, with make, model, price and any installation or training costs that are bundled into it.
Dental office and medical clinic fit-outs
Opening, expanding or relocating a practice means plumbing, cabinetry, electrical work and specialized rooms, much of it fixed to the building. Because no single machine secures all of that, a term loan often covers the fit-out, with equipment financed separately. Partners usually want the lease, contractor bids and a budget that separates construction from equipment.
Insurance payment gaps
Practices pay staff and suppliers on schedule while insurers pay claims on theirs. When claims slow down, or a new payer is added, the gap can grow. A line of credit fits a gap that recurs; a working capital loan fits one defined shortfall. Partners often review accounts receivable aging by payer.
Chiropractic and other outpatient practices
Chiropractors, physical therapists, optometrists and other practitioner offices fall within the same outpatient category and face the same mix of needs: equipment, space and the wait for reimbursement. The same funding types apply; the equipment and payer mix differ.
Adding a provider or a service
A new physician, hygienist or associate dentist adds payroll from the first day, while their billings take weeks to turn into insurance payments. The same is true of a new service line that needs equipment and training before it earns. Working capital or a line of credit can carry that ramp-up, and equipment financing covers the new equipment. Partners will want to see how the added revenue is expected to build, month by month.
Lease or buy clinical technology?
The question is how long the equipment stays useful to you. A dental chair or sterilizer may serve for many years and suits a loan or equipment finance agreement you own at the end. Imaging and software that are likely to be replaced on a shorter cycle often suit a lease with a clear end-of-term option. Your accountant should weigh in, because the tax treatment differs between structures.
What partners commonly ask practices for
- Recent business bank statements
- Accounts receivable aging, by payer
- Equipment quotes or fit-out bids
- Business and personal tax returns for the owners, especially for smaller practices
- Professional license information for the practitioners
- The office lease
Before you sign
- Match the term to the equipment's useful life
- Check end-of-lease terms on technology that will be replaced
- Ask whether the practice's receivables or all assets will be pledged
- Read any personal guarantee, which practice owners are commonly asked to sign
Small practices and personal guarantees
Most physician offices in the county are small: 46 of 71, or 64.8 percent, had fewer than five employees in 2023 (County Business Patterns 2023). In a practice that size, partners usually review the owners alongside the practice, and personal guarantees are common. Keep personal and practice finances clearly separated in the months before you apply; it makes the review simpler.
How Mesaside Advances works with practices
We help separate equipment, fit-out and cash-flow needs and send each to partners that fund health care practices. Local business data is on the Cheyenne, WY page, and other sectors are on the industries page.
By Mesaside Advances · Updated
