How should chiropractic equipment dealers offer financing to practices?
Chiropractic orders are smaller than dental or imaging, but the same thing decides the sale: the monthly payment. A playbook for chiropractic equipment dealers: how to package orders, how to sell cash-pay equipment on the payment, and which partner program fits your sales volume.
On this page
The market keeps producing new buyers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 61,700 chiropractor jobs in 2025 and projects the occupation to grow 9% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average (Occupational Outlook Handbook). Every doctor who opens a new office needs tables, therapy equipment, and often X-ray. Those are your next orders.
Why does financing decide chiropractic equipment sales?
Because the purchases that grow a practice are business decisions, not clinical ones. Decompression and Class IV laser are mostly cash-pay: most major insurers, Medicare included, treat non-surgical spinal decompression as investigational and do not cover it. A doctor deciding whether to add a $45,000 table is really deciding whether the cases will cover the payment, so quote the monthly payment in the first conversation.
Practices also want to keep their cash. In the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation’s 2024 Horizon Report, 62% of businesses named optimizing cash flow as a top reason to finance, and a small practice needs its cash for marketing to fill the new equipment. And when a practice goes to its bank instead, the odds are not great: in the Federal Reserve’s 2025 Small Business Credit Survey, only 39% of healthcare and education firms that applied for financing were fully approved.
Where do chiropractic deals stall, and what closes them?
| The deal | Where it stalls | What closes it |
|---|---|---|
| A single adjusting table | Under the $15,000 usual financing minimum | Package it with decompression, laser, X-ray, or modalities on one agreement |
| A new practice’s first office | No operating history | Startup programs built on the doctor’s credit, clinical experience, and working capital |
| Decompression or laser | “Will it pay for itself?” | The monthly payment next to the cases or sessions it takes to cover it |
| Digital X-ray | A big ticket for a small office | One payment over up to 72 months, and on a strong file, installation and training can go on the same agreement |
| Used or refurbished equipment | Outside many lenders’ programs | Tables and decompression finance used without trouble; lasers and imaging need the manufacturer to still support the model |
| Practice waiting on its bank | The order sits for weeks | Answers in hours, and most single purchases approved on the application alone |
One detail matters for the new-practice row: student debt by itself does not keep a doctor out of the best pricing when the loans are paid on time. A new doctor who assumes their loans rule them out may never apply, so tell them up front. Full requirements are in the qualification guidelines.
What do chiropractic payments look like?
Quote it monthly, on every proposal. Here are estimated payments on common chiropractic orders:
| Example order | Price | 60 months | 72 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjusting table with modalities | $18,000 | About $374 | About $324 |
| Class IV laser | $28,000 | About $581 | About $505 |
| Spinal decompression table | $45,000 | About $934 | About $811 |
| Digital X-ray | $65,000 | About $1,349 | About $1,172 |
| First-office package | $150,000 | About $3,114 | About $2,704 |
Estimated payments with no money down, on example prices, not market quotes. Actual payments depend on the practice’s credit, the equipment, and the term.
With cash-pay equipment, show the doctor how many patients it takes to cover the payment:
- Decompression table, $45,000: about $934 a month. Two cases a month at $2,800 each bring in $5,600, about six times the payment.
- Class IV laser, $28,000: about $581 a month. Twenty sessions a month at $90 each bring in $1,800, about three times the payment.
Our decompression and laser payback guide also runs the numbers for a slow month, and our chiropractic equipment cost guide has price ranges.
What should a chiropractic dealer’s partner program include?
- Everything you sell, on one agreement. Adjusting and drop tables, spinal decompression, Class IV laser, X-ray and digital imaging, shockwave and therapy modalities, EHR and practice software, and office furnishings. A full first-office package can go on one agreement.
- Approval on the application alone. No tax returns or financial statements up to about $75,000 for most established practices, and up to $50,000 for practices under two years. The application starts with a soft credit inquiry.
- Speed your reps can sell with. At Five West, most submissions get a first response within 1 to 2 business hours, and approvals on clean files can come back in as little as 30 minutes.
- Terms that fit the equipment. 24 to 72 months, with new, used, and refurbished equipment financed.
- Paid in full. 100% of the invoice on funding after delivery and acceptance.
Which program tier fits your chiropractic dealership?
Five West’s tiers are sized by monthly application volume, and all three cost $0. If about half of your sales are financed, here is where you land:
| Annual equipment sales | Financed, if about half | Per month | Tier that fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1 million | $500,000 | About $42,000 | 3rd Party Financing, our referral tier, with no minimum |
| $3 million | $1.5 million | About $125,000 | Co-Branded |
| $6 million | $3 million | About $250,000 | Co-Branded |
| $12 million | $6 million | About $500,000 | Private Label |
Application volume usually runs higher than funded volume, because not every application funds.
3rd Party Financing, our referral tier, has no minimum and no setup, so you can send a customer today. Co-Branded, at $100,000 a month in applications and one funded deal a quarter, puts your logo on a payment calculator and financing page and adds the Partner Portal for live deal tracking. Private Label, at $500,000 a month, builds a program under your brand with CRM integration, sales meeting sponsorships, and trade show support. See all three tiers side by side in our partner program comparison.
What should your reps say to a practice?
- On a $12,000 table: “Add the Class IV laser and it’s one payment for both, about $830 a month over 60 months, estimated and subject to credit approval.”
- On decompression: “It’s about $934 a month. Two cases a month at your package price cover that several times over.”
- To a new doctor: “We work with programs for new practices. They look at your credit, your clinical experience, and your working capital, and student loans paid on time won’t hold you back by themselves.”
- On X-ray: “It’s about $1,349 a month over 60 months, estimated and subject to credit approval. Let’s start the application alongside your state registration, so neither one holds up the install.”
- After any decline: “That program said no. Let me run it through a partner with more than one option before we give up on it.”
Don’t forget the fourth quarter
Profitable practices look for deductions in November and December, and Section 179 applies to financed equipment placed in service by December 31. Build your year-end list now and schedule deliveries early. We also have a Section 179 sales playbook for your reps and a Section 179 guide for chiropractors you can send to customers.
The bottom line
Chiropractic dealers win by selling packages instead of single tables, and by selling cash-pay equipment on the payment instead of the price. Put the monthly number next to the cases it takes to cover it, tell new doctors their student loans do not rule them out, and route every application through a partner that answers in hours. Every tier costs you nothing, and once you send about $100,000 a month in applications, the program can carry your name.
Frequently asked questions
Can a new chiropractor finance a first-office equipment package?
Selectively, yes. New practices are considered when the doctor has strong personal credit, verifiable clinical experience, and working capital left after the purchase, usually with a down payment. Student debt by itself does not rule a doctor out when it is paid as agreed.
What is the smallest chiropractic purchase that can be financed?
Five West’s usual minimum is $15,000. A single adjusting table often falls below that, so package it with other equipment, such as decompression, laser, X-ray, or modalities, on one agreement.
Can used chiropractic equipment be financed?
Yes. Tables and decompression systems finance used without trouble. Lasers and imaging need the manufacturer to still support the model, because that decides service and resale. Used equipment from a dealer usually takes 10% to 15% down.
Do chiropractic practices need tax returns to finance equipment?
Usually not. Application-only decisions, with no tax returns or financial statements, go up to about $75,000 for most established practices and $50,000 for practices under two years. Above that, expect a full financial package.
How long can chiropractic equipment be financed?
Terms run from 24 to 72 months. A longer term lowers the payment, which is often what turns a cash-pay equipment decision into a yes.
What does it cost a chiropractic dealer to offer financing?
Nothing at Five West. Every tier is free to the dealer: no setup fee, no monthly fee, and no application fee for your customers. The practice pays the finance charge.
When does a chiropractic dealer get paid on a financed sale?
On funding. Five West pays 100% of the invoice after the practice signs and the equipment is delivered and accepted, and funding follows in as little as 24 to 48 hours once documents are signed.
Start a partner program.
A chiropractic financing program under your name, with answers in hours and 100% of the invoice on funding. The partner application takes about 10 minutes, and it is not a credit application.
Keep reading
More for chiropractic dealers and the practices they sell to.
On the siteChiropractic equipment financingPartner programsPartner widgetsPartner Portal demoPartner application
This article is general information about vendor financing for chiropractic equipment dealers. It is not a rate quote, a commitment to finance, or tax advice. All financing is subject to credit approval and underwriting.