On this episode of the Raving Patients Podcast, Len sits down with Ben Tuinei to discuss how insurance participation may, or may not, impact your marketing strategy.

According to our data, the vast majority of dentists in the U.S. participate with more than 3 PPO plans. Many dentists believe that insurance participation is a necessary part of practicing dentistry. He believes that if you are going to participate with insurance you must do so in a way that is on your terms. Negotiating fees and contracts is something that has been somewhat of a secret or a foreign concept in dentistry until 10 years ago when the concept of negotiating with insurance started to become more well known. 

Takeaways from this episode include:

1. PPO Participation and new patients or active patients. Is there a correlation?
2. Do you lose new patient opportunities by being out of network (non-participating) with insurance plans?
3. While we are on the topic of PPO (insurance) participation, are insurance companies still negotiating fees?

Mr. Tuinei began his dental career in 2007 while working for 10 location group practice in Phoenix Arizona managing all insurance related functions.  During his first few months, he created systems and operating protocols and restructured a 12 person billing department that improved collections from a  low 65% to 98%.  At the same time, Mr. Tuinei learned how to effectively negotiate with 3rd party payors that gave a boost in annual insurance related revenue of nearly 1 million dollars for a team of only 10 general dentists. Mr. Tuinei’s early experience in negotiating with 3rd party payors caught the attention of other large group practices and hundreds of solo dental practitioners in Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Idaho and Colorado.  Consequently, he unintentionally discovered an under-served section of the dental industry: 3rd party payor negotiating (aka insurance fee negotiating).  Mr Tuinei opened Optimum Dental Solutions in September 2009 and rebranded to Veritas Dental Resources in 2015\.

To-date, Mr Tuinei has worked with over 6700 dentists influencing over 3 billion dollars of newly negotiated revenue for his clients. Mr Tuinei currently serves as the President of Veritas Dental Solutions and is a key advisor to various State Dental Associations, CPA firms, and coaching/consulting firms in dentistry. 

Mr. Tuinei is going on his 22nd year as a professional public speaker. He currently serves as the President of Veritas Dental Resources and sits on the Board of Directors for The Dental Business School, Business Ownership Mentoring of America, The Dental Leadership Academy, and a co-host on The Navigating Dental Insurance Podcast. 

Mr. Tuinei has been recognized by several state Dental Associations and various dental study clubs as “The Authority” on PPO strategies and PPO fee Negotiating.  His articles are frequently published in the Dental Economics and Aesthetic Dentistry magazines.