Dr. Salzsieder has been a practicing veterinarian for 29 years, a practicing veterinary consultant for 27 years and a member of the bar in Washington and Oregon for 14 years. He does employee contracts, practice valuations, management consulting and facilitation of practice sales. Dr. Salzsieder is one of the founders and former president of both the AVMLA and the AVPMCA, and has owned seven mixed or small animal practices (only four at one time). He was a corporate manager for VetSmart, now Banfield, and was the first VetSmart charter practice owner. He is also a 

 Editorial Advisory Board member and a founding member of the Washington State Bar Association Animal Law Section, formed in 2002. Dr. Salzsieder is the owner of one three-doctor small animal practice and owns one golden retriever, Buddy, and two cats, Tigger and Moma Kitty.

Q: I'm considering a merger with another local practice. How do I go about it?

You have two options for a merger, according to 

 Editorial Advisory Board member Dr. Karl Salzsieder, JD, of Salzsieder Consulting and Legal Services in Longview, Wash. One, you and the other owner can get independent valuations of your practices and then pay—or be paid—cash to balance out your shares of the new dually owned practice. The second method is payments over time—usually three years—of a percentage of gross revenue from the transferred clients brought to the merged practice. Either way, the merger should meet the following conditions: 

 Your practices must be close enough to each other that clients will transfer to the remaining location. Three miles is the maximum workable distance, Salzsieder says. 

 All the owners and doctors must agree to work in the merged practice at least three to six months. Doctors need to provide continuity of care so clients will follow them to the new practice. 

 If, after the merger, all of the owners and doctors don't deliver the same or increased client base and revenue, the price of each practice entity should be adjusted regularly for up to three years after the close of the deal. 

Mergers can improve the medicine you practice and your quality of life, Dr. Salzsieder says—as long as you're smart about the transition. 

Practice Finances

Buying or Selling a Practice

I'm considering a merger with another local practice. How do I go about it?

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