Free guide for GP practice buyers

What to look for when buying a general practice

A due diligence framework for GP practice acquisition in Australia.

GP practice acquisition is not a standard business purchase. The asset is not the building, the equipment or the patient list. It is the capacity of a group of doctors, working inside a particular structure, to generate billings consistently over time. Everything that affects that capacity affects what you are paying for.

This guide covers the nine areas that determine whether an acquisition will hold its value: doctor risk and revenue concentration, IT and practice management systems, the practice manager, governance and payroll tax, the workforce pipeline, billing model and cost structure, owner dependency, post-acquisition upside and earnings durability. Each section includes a checklist of items to verify before making an offer.

Written for buyers, whether sole GPs acquiring their first practice or group operators adding sites. The regulatory and market position is current as at May 2026, including the Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program, state-by-state payroll tax positions and college-led GP training.

Download the guide Read online

What to look for when buying a general practice - cover

Why read this guide?

Most GP acquisitions start with EBITDA. That is the wrong place to start. Historical profit is a data point. Future maintainable earnings are the asset. This guide works through what holds the revenue together and what could take it apart, before you open the spreadsheet.

It covers the structural questions that buyers consistently underestimate: workforce pipeline risk, practice manager retention, payroll tax exposure by state, billing model economics under BBPIP and the three-year earnings durability test. Current data, named regulatory sources and practical checklists throughout.

Key sections

Doctor risk and revenue concentration.

Clinical systems, governance and payroll tax exposure.

Workforce pipeline and GP recruitment.

Billing model, cost structure and post-acquisition upside.

Who should read this guide?

GPs looking to buy their first practice and unsure what to assess beyond the financials.
Group operators evaluating roll-in acquisitions or new sites.
Practice managers preparing a business for sale who want to understand buyer expectations.
Accountants, lawyers and brokers advising on GP practice transactions.
Anyone involved in GP practice due diligence who needs a current, Australian-specific framework.

Author

Mark Donato

Mark Donato is a healthcare executive with over 30 years' experience in general practice sustainability, strategy and change management. His career includes CEO of RACGP Oxygen, General Manager of Membership and Marketing at the RACGP and leadership roles at Better Medical and Precedence Health Care. Mark specialises in primary healthcare solutions, practice growth strategies and innovation in general practice business models.

Considering an acquisition?

The free GP sale readiness tool shows exactly where a practice sits against buyer expectations. Encourage any practice you are looking at to complete the assessment before negotiation starts.

Share the assessment