> [llms.txt](https://getlemma.com/llms.txt)

# Bank accounts you need for an MSO-PC structure

A practical breakdown of how many bank accounts an MSO-PC healthcare group actually needs, what each one is for, and what to look for in a bank that handles the structure cleanly.

Healthcare groups that grow into multiple locations almost always run into the same banking question: how many accounts do we actually need, and at which entity?

The short version: more than one. Usually a lot more than one. CPOM rules and payer enrollment require it.

Here's the actual minimum, the practical setup most MSO-PC groups land on, and what each account is for, expanded step by step in [the checklist for opening every account correctly the first time](/provider-guides/mso-pc-account-setup-checklist).

## The minimum: one operating account per entity

At a bare minimum, every legal entity in an MSO-PC structure needs its own operating account. That means:

- One operating account for the MSO. Receives management fees from the PCs, pays MSO-side vendors and admin staff.
- One operating account per PC. Receives insurance reimbursements, pays clinical staff, pays for clinical supplies.

For a 5-PC group, that's 6 operating accounts. Each is tied to its entity's EIN, payer enrollment, and tax filings.

In most states, [why CPOM makes separate accounts non-negotiable](/provider-guides/cpom-compliance-bank-account-ownership) comes down to one principle: a non-clinician (the MSO) cannot legally own clinical revenue. Separate accounts enforce the separation.

## The practical setup most groups land on

Operating accounts are the floor. Most groups add two or three more account types per entity for cleaner financial workflows:

- Payroll accounts: separate from operating, making payroll runs cleaner and reducing fraud surface.
- Merchant or patient payment accounts: where card payments and text-to-pay receipts land before sweeping to operating.
- Reserve or savings accounts: 30 to 60 days of operating expenses parked in interest-bearing accounts.

A 5-PC group that takes this path runs 12 to 15 accounts end-to-end. That sounds like a lot. With [a bank that opens PC accounts natively](/mso-banking), the operational complexity is hidden behind a single dashboard.

## What to look for in a bank

Generic business banks struggle with this structure. Specifically, look for:

- Multi-entity onboarding that activates all entities in days, not the 35 to 75 days typical at generalist banks.
- Virtual accounts per location or provider for clean payer EFT routing without opening dozens more accounts.
- Automated sweep rules ("if PC-3 holds more than $X, sweep to MSO master") that respect intercompany agreements, covered in [how automated sweep rules move cash between entities](/provider-guides/automated-sweep-rules-mso-pc).
- Consolidated dashboard across every entity for the CFO.

What Lemma doesn't do: it doesn't structure your MSO-PC entity setup for you, replace your healthcare attorney, or write your management services agreement. It provides the banking layer once the structure is in place.

## Your bank doesn't know healthcare. Lemma does.

Lemma is business banking for healthcare practices, MSOs, DSOs, and multi-entity groups: free ACH, up to 1.75% APY, $10M FDIC protection, entity management, cash sweeps, and an AI-powered lockbox that digitizes checks and EOBs on arrival.

Free for a single entity, $50/month per entity for groups. Open in 5 minutes. It's the last bank switch you'll make.

[Sign up](https://app.getlemma.com/sign-up)
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