Episode summary
Should You Go Out of Network? Part 1: Where to Start
The Dentist Money Show
· · Hosts: Matt, Christine
Summary
Rising PPO write-offs were framed as a business-level problem, not just an irritation. The guest said some practices are now seeing 42%, 45% and 48% in-network write-offs, which can force higher patient volume and contribute to burnout, weaker margins, and less ability to invest in the team and patient experience.
The main argument was that going out of network should be approached through a structured process: organize, analyze, decide, then act. The guest emphasized that the first question is why a practice is considering the move, and whether it fits the practice mission, patient philosophy, and team culture. The team must understand the change, believe in it, and communicate it consistently, or patients will hear mixed messages and disengage.
The conversation also stressed that this is not an all-or-nothing decision. The guest said the most successful transitions typically take 12 to 18 months and often span two to three recall cycles, giving time to talk with patients, test assumptions, renegotiate fees, evaluate plan-by-plan risk, and assess whether the practice has alternative payment methods and enough financial cushion to absorb any short-term disruption.
Key takeaways
- The guest said some solo practices are seeing 42% to 48% PPO write-offs, which can materially damage margins and contribute to burnout.
- The guest’s framework is to organize, analyze, decide, and then act, rather than making a rushed insurance decision.
- The guest said the most successful out-of-network transitions usually take 12 to 18 months and two to three recall cycles.
- The guest said team alignment is critical because confused patients do not move forward with care, stay, or refer others.
- The guest advised analyzing each plan separately for write-offs, patient concentration, and administrative burden before making any move.
Notable quotes
“This has become a a major impact on the success of the dental practice particularly you know our clients private practice and dentists”
“I have literally seen 42, 45 and 48% in network write offs for offices for individual solo practitioner practices”
“First, we have to get organized, right? And then we need to analyze the data that we're gathering. Then we need to make decisions”
“the most successful offices that do this take 12 to 18 months of a process”
“a confused consumer does not buy”
How the episode opens
Consult an adviser or conduct your own due diligence when making financial decisions. General principles discussed during this program do not constitute personal advice. This program is furnished by Dennis Advisers, a registered investment adviser. Welcome back to the Dennis Money Show, where we help dentists make smart financial decisions and make work optional on your terms. I'm Matt, joined here with the beautiful and brilliant Christine Euan. I nailed it, Christine. How are you?
I love that introduction. Yes, you got that one down. Thank you. Good to be here.
Yeah, good to have you. I've really practiced that intro because the first time I did it, I said beautiful. So, I was really concentrating.
Um, but super super excited to have you and to talk about a really critical topic here around to drop the PO or not drop the PO or what going out of network in network what what are all the decisions that surround that. So before we get into this though, I do want to highlight that this show is brought to you by Dennis Advisors. It's shocking how many people don't know that at this point, but I've been told I need to be highlighting that.
So it's brought to you by Dennis Advisors. And a huge part of what we do at Dennis Advisors is is education. And that's why we did started this show now almost 11 years ago.
We just want to educate the dental space. And we've taken this to a next level of education which with our Dennis Money launchpad. So we just had our first cohort uh beginning of this year went great.
Uh and we're doing another cohort this fall starting in September. So if you are at all interested, if you're out there thinking I need another level of this, I need to something to help me kind of learn all the things that I did not know or was not taught about money in dental school.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- ppo write-offs
- out-of-network strategy
- dental practice financial analysis
- patient retention
- team alignment and communication
Watch the episode
Watch “Should You Go Out of Network? Part 1: Where to Start” on YouTube
Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
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The Dentist Money Show, this episode and its artwork belong to Dentist Advisors - Financial Planning and Investment Management. Octagon is not affiliated with the show; this page is an independent summary.
