When dentists think about increasing revenue, the first instinct is often to work harder, see more patients, add new services, or extend hours. But boosting production is only half the equation. The other half lies in protecting your bottom line.
One of the most overlooked ways to strengthen profitability is by reviewing your insurance contracts. For many practices, outdated agreements, under-negotiated reimbursements, or overlooked network arrangements quietly erode revenue month after month.
Why Insurance Contracts Deserve More Attention
Dental insurance companies regularly adjust their fee schedules, but those adjustments don’t automatically benefit you. In fact, unless you actively renegotiate, your reimbursements may lag behind rising costs for supplies, staff, and overhead.
Here’s the reality:
- Reimbursements can vary widely between networks, even for the exact same procedure.
- Umbrella networks (such as Carrington or Zelis) often result in being in-network with multiple insurers—sometimes in ways that conflict or overlap.
- Renegotiation opportunities usually exist every two to three years, but many practices miss them entirely.
Left unchecked, these issues can cost a practice tens of thousands annually, money that could otherwise flow straight to the bottom line.
What a Strategic Review Looks Like
A thorough insurance analysis goes beyond comparing fee schedules. It involves:
- Mapping Your Networks
Identifying all the carriers you’re connected to, directly or through umbrella agreements.
- Spotting Conflicts and Overlaps
Understanding where multiple contracts may undercut your reimbursement rates.
- Benchmarking Fees
Comparing your current reimbursements to regional and national averages to see where you’re falling behind.
- Renegotiating with Leverage
Working with experts who specialize in PPO negotiations can uncover hidden opportunities and strengthen your position at the table.
The ROI of Small Changes
Unlike adding new services or equipment, improving reimbursement rates doesn’t require extra staff hours or clinical production. Every dollar increase in collections from renegotiated contracts is essentially pure profit. In many cases, even a modest percentage increase adds up to significant gains over the year.
Why Now Is the Right Time
September is already a month where practices often take a closer look at operations. With back-to-school shifts and a natural production slowdown, it’s the perfect time to step back and evaluate the financial side of the practice, not just the clinical.
That’s why we often recommend practices work with partners like PPO Advisors. Their team specializes in untangling complex contract webs and renegotiating reimbursements in ways that most practices simply don’t have the time or bandwidth to do on their own. It’s one of the easiest ways to strengthen your financial position without adding to your daily workload.
At Engage Advisors, we work with dentists every day to ensure their financial strategy matches the realities of practice ownership. Production growth matters, but so does protecting what you’ve already earned. A smart insurance review could be the simplest way to capture more value, without adding another patient to the schedule.