Startup Practices Tour - Unlock The PPO

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PPO Contract Negotiation & Credentialing FAQs for Dentists

Thank you for taking the time to research our company, we’re glad you are here! Below are some added details of what is included with our Startup services. If you would like to get more information sent to you by email, please visit our contact us page and we’ll be happy to reach out (in that no-pressure sort of way).

1.

During your first call, we will work with you to define your top codes that you want us to focus negotiations on. We will provide a template to help guide the process, but we want to be sure that your top codes are a custom reflection of your new office, so it will be tailored specifically to your practice.
2.

We do a third party fee analysis to help set your fees properly and discuss this with you during our first call. We will need to submit a copy of your full fees to the insurance companies as part of the negotiations process.
3.

We'll be doing a demographic analysis of your area to pinpoint largest employers and what corresponding dental insurance companies are tied to them. What is an important insurance company to consider in one market will be different from another based on local employers. Strategic decisions need to be made to choose the best mix of participation for your specific area.
4.

Let the negotiations begin! We handle the back-and-forth negotiations with the insurance companies on your behalf and will present all final offers and make recommendations to you during separate individual phone meetings. For any new contracts you accept, we will handle the paperwork for you and follow up until we have all of your effective dates confirmed. We will then give you a copy of all of your effective dates before we wrap up.
5.

Copies of all final fee schedules and contracts will be placed in a permanent online account for you to access at any time. The contents of this cloud-based file will be reviewed in detail during a scheduled 1-hour Team Call that we will coordinate prior to your opening but when you have your computers in place and your Front Desk hired. We will provide you with the dates that you are eligible for renegotiations when all of your final effective dates have been confirmed.

We are project-based so we charge a flat fee and do not take a percentage of the increases we obtain for you. We typically work with a practice for about 6 months, depending on your goals, but our process and fee includes everything from beginning to end.

Testimonials

For more feedback about our services

Dr. Robert Davis – Greenville

North Carolina

Great service and attention to detail. The Unlock team was fabulous in every way and helped to navigate a generally confusing part of starting up a dental practice. I would have been lost in the insurance world without them!

Dr. Jennifer Lumbley, Flowood

Mississippi

Sandi and her entire staff at Unlock The PPO have been so wonderful throughout this journey. They have given me a wealth of information about how the insurance negotiating process works. We have received amazing results. The only thing I regret is not contacting them years ago. ”2024”

Dr. John Lee Jr. – Chino Hills

California

Sandi and her team are pros. They are extremely knowledgeable, efficient and excellent to work with. Their services were worth every penny and I’m so glad to have had their help.

Dr. Levon Sukiasian – Massapequa

New York

The entire team was knowledgeable, efficient, extremely helpful and made the process stress free. They were always available to answer my questions and give their advice. I would highly recommend their services and would definitely work with them in the future.

Dr. Haitham Wehbe & Dr. Ahmad Muhieddine – Manvel

Texas

Dealing with insurance companies can be very challenging. Unlock the PPO helped make this challenge less daunting.” 2024

Dr. Chad Biggio – Baton Rouge

Louisiana

Unlock the PPO was a great experience. They are very knowledgeable and helpful throughout the process. Their negotiations helped me get close to 25% increase in fees with certain plans. Highly recommend.

Dr. Earl Spader – Tucson

Arizona

The team at Unlock the PPO met all of our expectations and more! They made the whole process very easy to comprehend and we are very glad we chose them for our insurance navigation and negotiations.

Dr. Michael Lysonski – Edgewood

Minnesota

Working with you exceeded expectations-great timelines and attention to detail… and results!

Dr. Yamini Gollapudi – Oak Point

Texas

We have a start-up and Lisa was very helpful to set up UCR fee and negotiating with insurance fee schedule. I would highly recommend. ”2024”

Dr. Justin Tarver – Monroe

Louisiana

We worked with Unlock The PPO beginning in January 2022. They were great to work with and helped us significantly improve reimbursement from insurance companies. I would highly recommend them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Your PPO contracting can set the foundation for long-term profitability. Poorly negotiated contracts or poorly positioned network relationships can lock you into low rates for years, limiting your practice’s growth potential.

We perform an insurance-focused demographic analysis of your specific area, identifying largest employers and their employee dental insurance plans, ensuring your PPO participation strategy matches the patients you want to reach.

It varies, but on average:

Negotiations take up to 90 days
Contracting can take 4 four months or much longer, depending on how you choose to contract.
For a startup, planning 6+ months prior to opening is ideal, as higher reimbursement can be a very lengthy process.

Yes. Insurance companies require your standard office cash fees during negotiations. We obtain a fee analysis for your zip code and assist in setting your fees competitively.

Yes. We will provide a summary of your contracting decisions and recommendations for your practice for future years, to include requesting future increases as well as terminating networks.

Rushing into PPO contracts without negotiations.
Not considering local employer-based insurance demand
Not tailoring carrier choices to support their desired business model.
Not planning early enough to make tactical decisions that not just generate new patient flow but provide a strong financial foundation for long term prosperity.

We guide you to avoid these common mistakes and optimize your participation.

If you plan to expand, it’s crucial to set up PPO contracts correctly from the start, with a possible expansion in mind. Positioning your own contracts well can ease the process of adding a doctor to your own contracts in the future. If you plan on adding a second doctor very early on, we’d recommend you consider contracting both with your initial project.

All final fee schedules, contracts, and important documents are stored in a secure online portal, accessible anytime.

Once contracts are finalized:

We confirm effective dates
We prepare subject specific videos and your own practice specific video that will be available for you and your team indefinitely
We provide a cloud-based resource folder for future reference

We work exclusively with privately owned dental practices (no large groups or DSOs), offering one-on-one strategic PPO planning.
You work directly with experienced industry professionals, not automated systems or junior consultants.
We provide a detailed insurance-focused demographic report as well as fee analysis study for your market.