24-Hour Pre-Approval for Medical Practice SBA Loans — How 3A Lending Works

24-Hour Pre-Approval for Medical Practice SBA Loans — How 3A Lending Works

Medical practice acquisitions move fast. Whether you're competing against a PE firm for a specialty practice or trying to lock up a medical office building before another buyer, you need to know your financing options before you're at the table — not three weeks after.

3A Lending provides physician and healthcare operator pre-approvals in 24 hours. Here's exactly how it works.

What 24-Hour Pre-Approval Tells You

In 24 hours, we give you:

• Program recommendation: SBA 7(a), SBA 504, or a combination — based on your specific use case


• Loan amount range: What you qualify to borrow based on your income and credit profile


• Equity injection required: How much cash you need to bring (typically 10%, sometimes less with a seller note)


• Rate range and term: Current SBA rates and what terms apply to your deal structure


• Lender network fit: Which lenders in our network have done similar medical deals and will be competitive for yours


• Potential obstacles: Any credit, documentation, or deal-structure issues to address before you go under contract

This is enough to make a serious offer on a practice or a building.

What We Evaluate in 24 Hours

Credit profile: Soft pull — no impact on your score. We're looking for 680+ FICO, no major derogatory events in the last 12–24 months. Medical school debt is expected and factored in appropriately.

Income and cash flow: Most recent 2 years of personal tax returns (and business returns if you have a current practice). We calculate your adjusted income and available cash flow for debt service.

The deal: Tell us what you're trying to finance — acquisition price, equipment cost, building value, or all three. We match this to the right SBA program.

Experience and credentials: A brief professional background. For practice acquisitions, are you an established physician or a recent graduate? This affects deal structure.

What to Have Ready

To receive a 24-hour pre-approval, have these documents available:

• Last 2 years personal tax returns (1040, all schedules)


• Last 2 years business returns (if you own a current practice)


• Brief description of the deal: what are you buying/building, estimated price, state


• Personal financial statement (SBA Form 413 — we can send you the fillable form)


• Authorization to pull soft credit

You do not need a purchase agreement, business plan, or equipment quotes at this stage.

Medical Practice vs. Other SBA Borrowers: What's Different

Medical practice SBA deals have some unique characteristics compared to, say, a restaurant or retail business:

Accounts receivable: Healthcare businesses have insurance AR that lenders value differently. They count confirmed AR (under 90 days, from creditworthy payers) but discount Medicaid AR and anything over 120 days.

Licensing and regulatory: Lenders need to see that you (and any acquired practice) are in good standing with your state medical board, DEA registration, and payer credentialing. Problems here can derail a deal even if financials are strong.

Key-person risk: If the acquiring physician is the entire practice, lenders require life and disability insurance on that physician as a condition of the loan. Build this into your timeline.

Malpractice history: Any adverse actions, settlements, or pending claims must be disclosed. Context matters — one settlement years ago with no pattern is different from multiple recent claims.

Medical Practice Lenders in 3A Lending's Network

Not every SBA lender is comfortable with medical practice deals. We work with lenders who have dedicated healthcare divisions and underwriters who understand:

• How insurance receivables are valued


• How to underwrite a practice acquisition vs. a startup


• Physician personal financial profiles (high debt, high income)


• Healthcare real estate appraisals

Sending your deal to a lender without healthcare experience wastes weeks. Our network filters this on your behalf.

From Pre-Approval to Closing

• 24-hour pre-approval — you know your financing range


• Sign LOI / go under contract — with financing confidence


• Documentation package (2 weeks) — we guide you through exactly what's needed


• Lender submission — we submit to the right 2–3 lenders simultaneously


• Term sheets (days 30–45) — we compare and advise


• Underwriting and closing (days 45–75) — we manage the process

Start your medical practice pre-approval at 3A Lending → | (260) 201-1112