Graniteford Finance, a small-business funding broker in Casper, WY, helps Natrona County medical and dental practices finance clinical equipment, office build-outs and the gap while insurance claims are paid. The county had 71 physician offices and 36 dental offices with paid employees in 2023. Credit decisions, rates and terms come from lending partners.
| Ambulatory health care employers | 237 in Natrona County, $159.9 million payroll (CBP 2023) |
|---|---|
| Offices of physicians | 71 employer establishments, 595 paid employees (CBP 2023) |
| Offices of dentists | 36 employer establishments, 215 paid employees (CBP 2023) |
| Health care and social assistance | Largest payroll of any county sector, $342.7 million (CBP 2023) |
| Usual fits | Equipment financing and term loans, with working capital or a credit line for claim timing |
| Office | 106 S Wisconsin Ave, Casper, WY 82609, (307) 368-2297 |
Health care in Natrona County
Health care and social assistance had the largest annual payroll of any sector in Natrona County in 2023, $342.7 million, across 339 employer establishments (U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023). Within it, ambulatory health care, which covers outpatient practices such as physician, dental, therapy and other offices, accounted for 237 establishments, 2,183 employees and $159.9 million in payroll.
| Measure | Offices of physicians | Offices of dentists |
|---|---|---|
| Employer establishments, 2023 | 71 | 36 |
| Paid employees, March 2023 | 595 | 215 |
| Annual payroll, 2023 | $76.1 million | $12.0 million |
| Employers with fewer than 5 employees, 2023 | 37 (52.1%) | 14 (38.9%) |
| Establishments with no paid employees, 2024 | 74 | 4 |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 (employer rows) and U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics 2024 (last row). The two programs cover different businesses and years.
Clinical equipment
Imaging systems, dental chairs and delivery units, intraoral scanners, sterilizers, lab equipment, exam tables and practice-management software are all commonly funded with equipment financing, with the equipment as collateral. Partners pay attention to the equipment's resale market: widely used, branded equipment is easier to finance than highly specialized systems. Ask whether installation, training and software licenses are included in the financed amount.
Technology that is replaced every few years, such as software and some diagnostic devices, is often leased; long-lived equipment is usually bought. Your accountant can say how each structure affects the practice's taxes.
Waiting on reimbursements
A practice pays staff and suppliers every week but collects much of its revenue from insurers and government payers on their schedule. When claims slow down, a new payer contract starts, or a provider joins and bills before payments arrive, the gap can be large. Working capital covers a one-time gap; a line of credit suits recurring ones. Partners will want to see the practice's payer mix and accounts receivable aging, so have those reports ready.
Build-outs, expansion and buying a practice
Fitting out a new suite, adding operatories or exam rooms, or buying an existing practice are defined projects with known costs, so a term loan repaid over several years is the usual starting point, often paired with equipment financing for the clinical fit-out. For an acquisition, the selling practice's financial records and patient base carry much of the review.
Sole practitioners and small offices
More than half of physician offices with employees in the county, 52.1 percent, had fewer than five employees in 2023 (U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023), and 74 physician offices operated with no paid employees in 2024 (U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics 2024). Smaller practices often have thinner financial statements, so partners rely more on bank statements, tax returns and the owner's credit. Keeping practice finances in separate business accounts makes that review simpler.
Opening a new practice
A provider leaving a group to open their own office faces the same problem as any startup: no practice revenue history. Partners in health care lending sometimes weigh the provider's training, production history and the local need for the specialty, but each sets its own policy. Expect to need a detailed business plan, projections, the proposed lease and equipment quotes, and often a meaningful owner contribution. The free advisers listed in our Casper, WY and Natrona County resource guide can help build the plan.
SBA-backed loans are another route for new practices; they are made by participating lenders, not by Graniteford Finance.
Physician and dental offices are not the same borrower
The county figures show a difference in shape. Physician offices with employees numbered 71 and paid $76.1 million in 2023, while the 36 dental offices paid $12.0 million (U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023). Dental offices were less likely to be very small employers (38.9 percent with fewer than five employees, against 52.1 percent for physician offices), and almost none operated without staff: 4 nonemployer dental offices in 2024, against 74 for physicians (U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics 2024).
In practice, a dental office's funding question is often equipment-heavy: operatories, imaging and scanners bought from a small set of suppliers. A physician's office may be more exposed to reimbursement timing and staffing costs. The funding types are the same; the emphasis of the request differs.
What partners ask practices for
- Business bank statements, usually several months
- Practice tax returns and a current profit and loss statement
- Accounts receivable aging and payer mix
- Equipment quotes, with make, model and what is included
- The office lease, for build-outs
- A list of current loans, leases and advances
Each partner applies its own criteria. Graniteford Finance does not make credit decisions, and a merchant cash advance, if offered to a practice, is not a loan and should be priced in total dollars first.
By Graniteford Finance · Updated