This code covers health practices outside the named professions: acupuncture, nutrition and dietetics, midwifery, naturopathy, and many nurse-led IV therapy and aesthetic clinics. From October 2023 to June 2026 it took 1,398 SBA 7(a) loans, about $492 million from 268 lenders, at a median of $150,000 and a median rate of 10.5%. It leans heavily to new businesses: 24% of loans went to start-ups and 11.6% to franchises. Lenders decide on who holds the licenses, whether the structure complies with state law, how steady cash-pay demand is, and the equipment budget.
| Measure | Offices of All Other Miscellaneous Health Practitioners | All industries |
|---|---|---|
| SBA 7(a) loans approved | 1,398 | 162,355 |
| Median loan | $150,000 | $150,300 |
| Middle half of loans | $50,000 – $379,950 | $50,000 – $500,000 |
| Loans of $1 million or more | 7.4% | 12.9% |
| Median rate at approval | 10.5% | 10.25% |
| Middle half of rates | 9.5% – 11.25% | 9.3% – 11.25% |
| Acquisitions (change of ownership) | 63 (4.5%) | 16,849 (10.4%) |
| Median acquisition loan | $575,000 | $693,000 |
| Lenders that made these loans | 268 | 1,648 |
| SBA 504 loans (real estate, equipment) | 164 | 16,714 |
Approvals FY2024 – FY2026 to date (1 Oct 2023 – 30 Jun 2026), cancelled loans excluded. Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 FOIA loan records, as of June 30, 2026.
- SBA 7(a) loans approved
- 1,398 (Oct 2023 – Jun 2026)
- Median loan
- $150,000 (national $150,300)
- Median rate at approval
- 10.5% (national 10.25%)
- Start-ups
- 24% of loans
- Franchises
- 11.6% of loans
- Practice purchases
- 63 loans, median $575,000
Who is in this code, and what they borrowed
Offices of all other miscellaneous health practitioners (NAICS 621399) took 1,398 SBA 7(a) loans from FY2024 through June 2026, worth $491,948,200, from 268 lenders. The code is a residual one: it holds licensed practitioners without a code of their own, such as acupuncturists, dietitians, midwives, naturopaths and hypnotherapists, along with a growing number of clinics offering IV hydration, injectables, weight management and aesthetic treatments under nurse or practitioner supervision. That mix explains most of the figures.
| Figure | Other health practitioners | What it points to |
|---|---|---|
| Median loan | $150,000 | Level with the national $150,300 |
| Middle half | $50,000 to $379,950 | A wide spread, from a single practitioner's office to a fitted-out clinic |
| Top tenth starts at | $790,900 | Larger clinics, premises and practice purchases |
| Loans of $1 million or more | 103 (7.4%) | A larger tail than law or consulting |
| Median rate | 10.5% (middle half 9.5% to 11.25%) | Close to the national 10.25%, in a narrow band |
| Start-ups | 24% of loans | One loan in four builds a new practice |
| Franchises | 11.6% of loans | Branded clinic concepts, sold as franchises |
| Acquisitions | 63 (4.5%), median $575,000 at 9.5% | Below the national 10.4%; practices are young and practitioner-bound |
| Median jobs supported | 5 | Larger teams than a solo practice: clinics staff several providers |
| SBA 504 | 164 loans, median $401,500 | Owned premises and long-life equipment |
The first question: is the practice lawfully structured?
In most industries the lender's first question is whether the business earns enough. Here it comes second. Many of the services in this code, particularly IV therapy, injectables and medical aesthetics, sit close to the practice of medicine or nursing, and states differ on who may own the business, who must supervise which treatment, and whether a non-physician may employ the providers. A lender that finances a clinic its state regulator would shut down has financed nothing.
So underwriters in this code ask for the paperwork behind the model before the P&L:
- Licenses. Each practitioner's license, and any facility or business license the state requires, current and in the right names.
- Supervision. Where a treatment requires a physician or other supervisor, the medical director or collaborative-practice agreement, what it pays, and what happens if the supervisor leaves.
- Ownership. In states that limit who may own a medical practice, clinics are often split between a practitioner-owned practice and a management company owned by the entrepreneur. The lender needs to see both entities, the management agreement between them and how cash flows from one to the other, and SBA's affiliation rules may treat them as one. See SBA affiliation rules.
- Insurance. Professional liability coverage that matches the treatments actually offered.
In this code a lender reads the medical director agreement as closely as the P&L.
A start-up and franchise market
Start-ups took 24% of loans and franchises 11.6%: one loan in four funds a practice that has not yet opened. A start-up loan here is underwritten on the owner and the plan: the practitioner's own clinical history, the site and its catchment, the build-out and equipment budget, and a month-by-month projection of how quickly the schedule fills. SBA requires an equity injection of at least 10% of total project costs for a start-up. On a project costing 800, that is at least 80 from the owner, before any cushion for a slow opening.
For a franchise, the brand must be eligible for SBA financing, and the lender reads the franchise agreement and the franchisor's disclosure document for fees, territory, required equipment and how existing units perform. A franchise with a thin operating history offers less comfort than its marketing suggests, and lenders weigh it accordingly. See franchise resale financing for buying an existing unit.
Equipment is where these budgets grow. Lasers, body-contouring devices, IV and infusion equipment and treatment-room fit-out can be most of the cost. 7(a) can finance equipment over up to 10 years, or 15 if its useful life supports it, but lenders ask hard questions about useful life for devices that newer models replace quickly. Dedicated equipment lenders are sometimes the better fit for a single large device; see equipment financing vs SBA 7(a). SBA 504 financed 164 projects in this code at a median of $401,500, typically 50% bank, 40% CDC and 10% borrower, or 15% for a new business; see SBA 7(a) vs SBA 504.
Cash pay, memberships and insurance
How a practice gets paid changes what the lender reads. Many practices in this code are largely cash-pay, which means no insurance delays but also demand that is discretionary and can move with consumer confidence.
| How patients pay | What the lender sees | What the lender asks for |
|---|---|---|
| Pay per visit, cash or card | Discretionary demand; strong when the location is right | Monthly revenue by service line, repeat-visit rates, card processing statements |
| Memberships | Recurring revenue, the steadiest kind in this code | Active members by month, cancellations, average membership price |
| Prepaid packages | Cash collected before the service is delivered | The unused package balance, which is owed in services, not earned |
| Insurance-billed | Slower cash, but less discretionary | Payer mix, receivables aging, denial rates |
Prepaid packages deserve a word. A clinic that sells ten-session packages up front has taken cash for work it has not done. A lender treats the unused balance as an obligation, and a P&L that books the whole package as revenue on the day of sale overstates what the clinic has earned. Clean books show the package balance separately. SBA requires debt service coverage of at least 1.15x on earnings the lender believes. Practices that bill insurance and wait on payers may also want a working-capital line; see lines of credit for medical practices.
Buying an existing practice
Buyers took 63 loans, 4.5% of the total, at a median of $575,000 and 9.5%. The low share likely reflects how young and how practitioner-bound many of these businesses are: a solo acupuncturist's practice is mostly the acupuncturist. What sells is a clinic with several providers, a brand patients know and memberships that renew without the founder.
SBA's change-of-ownership rules apply: at least 10% equity, a seller note counting toward up to half of it only on full standby for the life of the loan, no earnout, and a business valuation where the amount financed, less appraised real estate and equipment, exceeds $250,000. The seller may not stay as an owner, officer or employee, which is awkward when the seller is also the lead practitioner. The seller may consult for up to 12 months, or up to 24 months under SOP 50 10 8.1 from 1 October 2026; see SBA seller transition. Licensure matters here too: if the buyer is not licensed to deliver the services, the purchase needs a structure that stays lawful after closing. From 1 October 2026 a change of ownership must also show debt service coverage of 1.25x on historical results. See financing a chiropractic practice acquisition for a close parallel.
Preparing the file
SBA's list is the base: business tax returns for 2–3 years (or, for a start-up, the business plan and projections), a P&L and balance sheet with a year-to-date P&L through last month-end, a debt schedule with copies of notes being refinanced, and personal tax returns and a personal financial statement for each owner of 20% or more, all of whom will guarantee the loan. The practitioner's resume supports Form 1919. Then add what this code needs:
- Licenses for each practitioner and for the business
- Any medical director, supervision or management agreement
- Revenue by service line and by payment type
- Membership counts and the unused prepaid-package balance
- Equipment quotes and the franchise agreement, where there is one
Transparent assembles those into a full lender package, that is a financing model, lender presentation, blind teaser and underwriting memo, in a day once the documents are in, and takes it to lenders in its book of 278 that write SBA 7(a) and 504, choosing those comfortable with this code's structures. On SBA loans the lender pays Transparent, not the borrower. See how we underwrite.
Common questions
- Can a nurse-owned IV therapy or aesthetics clinic get an SBA loan?
- It can, if the clinic is structured to comply with its state's rules on ownership and supervision. Lenders ask for licenses, the medical director or supervision agreement, and, where ownership is split between a practice and a management company, both entities and the agreement between them.
- How much do I need to put in to open a new practice?
- SBA requires an equity injection of at least 10% of total project costs for a start-up, including build-out, equipment and opening working capital. Lenders often look for a cushion beyond that for a slow first year.
- Can I finance a franchise clinic with an SBA loan?
- Yes, if the brand is eligible for SBA financing. Franchises were 11.6% of SBA loans in this code. The lender reviews the franchise agreement and the franchisor's disclosure document, including how existing units perform.
- Do prepaid treatment packages count as revenue?
- Only as the treatments are delivered. The unused balance is owed to patients in services, and lenders treat it as an obligation. Show it separately from revenue.
- What rate should I expect?
- The median rate at approval from October 2023 to June 2026 was 10.5%, against 10.25% nationally, with the middle half between 9.5% and 11.25%. Practice purchases priced at a median of 9.5%.