Vital Care Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Vital Care is a healthcare franchise operating home-infusion pharmacies that provide IV and specialty-infusion therapies to patients at home. Franchisees run an infusion-pharmacy business managing clinical staff, compounding, and payer billing in a territory.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Vital Care franchise requires a total initial investment of $556K – $1.0M, including a $60K franchise fee. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $16.5M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 0.0% charge-off rate across 56 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $556K – $1.0M
- 71st pct Healthcare
- Avg gross sales
- $16.5M
- 28th pct Healthcare
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 110
- 64th pct Healthcare
- SBA charge-off
- 0.0%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Healthcare · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Healthcare avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $556K – $1.0M including a $60K franchise fee.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $16.5M/year (median $9.3M).
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 95/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 0.0% across 56 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- GROWTHSystem growing at 71.4% CAGR over 3 years with 110 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Vital Care Franchisor LLC
- Parent company
- Vital Care Issuer LLC
- Ultimate parent
- Vital Care Holdings, LLC (owned by Berkshire Partners, Leonard Green & Partners, and Linden Capital Partners)
- Predecessor
- Vital Care Infusion Services, LLC (VCIS); formerly Vital Care, Inc. (Alabama corporation, 1986-2020)
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer and President
- Stephen Foreman
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- 12 Cadillac Drive, Unit 230, Brentwood, Tennessee 37027
- Auditor
- Grant Thornton LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $92.7M
- vs $135.8M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Stephen Foreman
- Headquarters
- TN
- Founded
- 1986
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 34
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 88% above the typical healthcare franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $60K | $60K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $274K | $367K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $222K | $579K |
| Total initial investment | $556K | $1.0M |
Source: Vital Care 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $556K – $1.0M
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $274K – $367K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $60K – $60K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- The aggregate of: 19.25% of Gross Revenue (Non-Specialty)…
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 20.8%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | Complex tiered structure: 19.25% Non-Specialty, 10.25% Specialty, 3.25% Select Specialty, 1.75% Access, plus potential 0-2% increase |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $0 |
| Transfer fee | $100K |
| Renewal fee | $4K |
| Total fee load | 20.8% of rev |
At 20.8% total fee load, roughly $3417K per year goes to the franchisor before you pay a single operating expense.
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 1070% above the healthcare norm.
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$3.0M
18.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
269%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
4 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit. The target band for an attractive franchise is 30–60% ROIC. Below that and a passive index fund likely outperforms; above that and the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses. It's the top line only. Operating costs below are category estimates. Override them to match your real lease quote, labor market, and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Vital Care unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
269%
Above the 30–60% band. Verify revenue is per-unit average
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 Vital Care units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
21.1%
2.60× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
4.59×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$121.8M
on $181.1M purchase
Total debt
$59.3M
SBA $5.0M + senior + seller note
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $16.5M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $9.3M
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- Gross Revenue by quartile and by year (2017-2024), franchised VC Businesses open the entire year
- Sample size
- 73 outlets
- vs category median 20 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $205K→$99.0M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $1.3M→$45.4M
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 4 / 10
- vs category median 3 / 10 · above
Compared against 162 Healthcare brands
Revenue is 21.1x the investment midpoint. At typical franchise margins, this suggests a payback under 3 years.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $16.5M/year in gross sales. Median is $9.3M — top performers pull the average up, so a typical unit earns less. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 21.1x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 20.8% — above the Healthcare average of 8.8%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 4/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System expanding at 71.4% CAGR over 3 years across 110 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Healthcare averages
How Vital Care Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 110
- Opened
- 35
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 1
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 1
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 4.6%
- Company-owned
- 2
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 1%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +71.4%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +71.4%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 17
- Closed (3yr)
- 4
- Terminated (3yr)
- 1
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 2
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 2
- Franchisor bought back
- Transfer rate
- 16.4%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 31 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 56
- Loan volume
- $51.0M
- Median loan
- $900K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 100.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 17
- Defaults
- 0
- Typical loan rate
- 9.0%
- avg rate to borrowers
- vs industry
- 0.0%
- brand is above its industry ↑
- Jobs supported
- 410
- 0.9 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 48%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 87% went to startups / new businesses, 13% to established operators
Top lenders financing Vital Care franchisees
Showing 3 of 17 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Vital Care's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 10 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 15 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 10-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
With a 0.0% charge-off rate across 56 loans, banks have historically viewed this brand favorably for lending.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 0.0% — 100% below the 16.0% national norm, i.e. lower lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
No litigation, no bankruptcy, no distress. Strong positive equity ($15.0M net worth), Item 19 disclosed, audited, and 71.4% net unit growth across 110 units.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Grant Thornton LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 95 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORZero litigation/bankruptcy
- 02MINORNet worth $15.0M positive
- 03MEDItem 19 disclosed, strong +71.4% net growth
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 20.8% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Geographic |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Brentwood, Tennessee |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Tennessee |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 63 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Ongoing training
- Required
- POS system
- Vital Systems by CareTend
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Vital Systems by CareTend
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
97 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Vital Care · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Vital Care franchise?
The total investment to open a Vital Care franchise ranges from $556K – $1.0M, with an initial franchise fee of $60K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Vital Care franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Vital Care FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $16.5M. The median is $9.3M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the Vital Care FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Vital Care FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Vital Care's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Vital Care has a charge-off rate of 0.0% across 56 loans, meaning 0.0% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many Vital Care franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Vital Care has 110 total units in the United States, including 108 franchised units and 2 company-owned units. 35 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Vital Care a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Vital Care as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 95 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.