Dental Insurance & PPO Strategy

By Spiro Leunes, CPA | CEO, MRL Advisory Group – New Jersey and New York Dental CPAs A dental practice can collect $1.5 million annually, have a full schedule, and still watch profitability decline. When this happens, most dentists look at payroll, dental supplies, or laboratory expenses. Those are worth reviewing, but what if the bigger problem is that the practice isn't getting paid enough for the procedures it's performing? You know what you charge for a crown. You probabl

By Spiro Leunes, CPA | CEO, MRL Advisory Group, New Jersey and New York Dental CPAs Ask a dentist what their daily production goal is and I usually get one of three answers: a round number that sounds good, a number a consultant gave them four years ago, or a blank stare. When I ask where the number came from, the conversation is over. A daily production goal is arithmetic. It comes from what the practice has to bring in over the next 12 months, spread across the days you'll

By Spiro Leunes, CPA | CEO, MRL Advisory Group – New Jersey and New York Dental CPAs A buyer sits down with three years of a seller’s financials, works out what the practice earns, and decides what he can pay for it. That is the right exercise. The trouble is that he almost always runs it on the seller’s numbers, and nobody in the room stops to ask whether those numbers travel. Some of them do not. The one that catches buyers most often is the rate the practice actually gets

By Spiro Leunes, CPA | CEO, MRL Advisory Group – New Jersey and New York Dental CPAs If you have felt for years that Delta Dental’s reimbursements don’t add up, you’re not imagining it, and you’re not alone. There is now significant litigation moving through the courts on exactly that issue, and as a practice owner you should understand what’s happening, what it could mean for your collections, and how to handle the patient questions that are starting to come up. I want to

By Spiro Leunes, CPA | CEO, MRL Advisory Group – New Jersey and New York Dental CPAs The backbone of a great dental practice is a full hygiene schedule and getting paid at a fee for service rate. I’ve spoken with many dentists who accept bad paying PPOs and many attempt to renegotiate reimbursements. These dentists do prophies themselves because a hygienist costs $70 per hour but the PPO only pays $50. The dentist is now chained to an unending prophy hamster wheel, the con

The Pros and Cons of A Subscription-Based Model for Dental Practices and DSOs By Spiro Leunes, CPA | CEO, MRL Advisory Group – New Jersey and New York Dental CPAs As the dental industry evolves, many practices and Dental Support Organizations (DSOs) are exploring new ways to enhance patient care while maintaining financial stability. One model that has gained popularity is the subscription-based model, often referred to as a dental membership plan. While this approach offers

By Spiro Leunes, CPA | CEO, MRL Advisory Group – New Jersey and New York Dental CPAs Unlocking Fair Compensation: A Guide for Dentists Renegotiating Fee Reimbursements with Dental Insurance Companies In the evolving landscape of dental practice management, dentists face the dual challenge of providing exceptional patient care while ensuring their practice remains financially sustainable. One critical aspect of this balance involves negotiating—or renegotiating—fee reimburseme