Outsourcing dental office insurance verification, and when software is the cheaper answer
Most offices compare three things: hiring for it, sending it out, or running it themselves in one click. Here is what each one actually costs, including the cases where outsourcing wins.
$3,100
Typical month for a verification hire
From $49
Per location, per month here
Per check
You pay for what you actually run
No contract
Cancel from your dashboard
Hire for it, send it out, or run it yourself
The same 400 checks a month, three ways.
| Hire for it | Outsourced service | Run it yourself | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you pay | A salary, benefits and the time to train | Per check or a monthly retainer, usually with a minimum | From $49 per location, plus the checks you run |
| Turnaround | Same day, while that person is at work | Usually a batch, often a day ahead | Seconds, any time |
| A walk-in at 2pm | Covered, if they are not at lunch | Not on the list they were sent | Covered |
| Who sees your patient data | Your own staff | A third party, under their own agreement | Your own staff |
| When someone leaves | The work stops until you rehire | Unaffected | Unaffected |
| Cost at 400 checks | About $3,100 a month | Commonly $1.50 to $4.00 a check plus a minimum | $1,104 a month |
Outsourced pricing varies by vendor. Ask for the per-check price, the monthly minimum, and what happens to checks they cannot complete.
Per patient or flat fee: how verification companies charge
Most outsourcing companies price dental office insurance verification one of three ways. To compare them, take last month's patient count, price it each way, then add the minimum.
Per patient or per check
You pay for each patient they verify. Cheapest when your schedule is light or uneven. Ask about the monthly minimum and whether a plan they could not reach still counts.
Flat monthly fee
One price for a set number of patients or your whole schedule. Easier to budget when volume is steady, but you pay the same in a slow month and going over the cap usually costs extra.
A dedicated remote person
Some companies assign one team member, billed by the hour or the month. It works like a part-time hire you do not have to manage, and it costs like one.
US-based or overseas teams
Overseas teams
Usually the lower rate. Many work while your office is closed, so a list sent at the end of the day comes back by morning. A patient added that day waits for the next batch.
US-based teams
Usually a higher rate. They work during your office hours, so a patient added in the morning can be checked the same day.
Either way
They sign in to payer portals with your patients' details, so a signed business associate agreement comes before any patient list leaves the office.
When outsourcing is the right call
We would rather you pick correctly than pick us.
You want the phone calls made too
Some plans still need a person on the phone for a full breakdown. A service will make those calls. Software will not.
Nobody at the office will own it
A tool only helps if someone presses the button. If there is no one to own it, a service is the safer answer.
You are clearing a backlog
Working through a few thousand old accounts is a project. A service can put people on it. Software is for the ongoing work.
When software wins
Same-day patients matter
Walk-ins and add-ons are never on the list a service was sent the night before.
Your volume moves around
You pay for the checks you run, not for a minimum you have to hit every month.
You want the data to stay yours
Checks run on your account, by your team, and the results stay in your dashboard.
Compare verification software or see how real-time checks work, or read how dental insurance verification companies compare
From $49 a month per location, plus the checks you use
One plan per location. Your plan bills on the same date every month, or once a year on yearly. Checks are billed separately, once a month. Fill in every box we ask for and a check we cannot find costs you nothing.
Subscription
From $49 per location, per month
Or pay for the year in one payment and save 20%, on any plan. Cancel anytime from your dashboard.
Found checks, per month
- First 100 checks a month
- $2.50 each
- 101 to 500
- $2.25 each
- 501 to 2,500
- $2.00 each
- 2,501 and up
- $1.75 each
$2.50 a check for the first 100 each month, then $2.25, then $2.00, then $1.75 past 2,500.
The things practices ask first
Can I use a service and software together?
Yes, and several offices do. Run the daily schedule yourself and send the plans that still need a phone call out to a service.
What is the real cost difference at my volume?
At 400 checks a month it is about $1,104 here against roughly $3,100 for someone on payroll. Below 100 checks a month the gap is wider still.
Is per-patient or flat-fee pricing cheaper?
Per-patient pricing is usually cheaper when your schedule is light or changes month to month. A flat fee is usually cheaper when volume is steady and high, as long as you stay under its cap. Price last month both ways before you sign.
What happens to checks that come back empty?
You see what the payer said and which field looks wrong. Fill in every box we ask for and a check we cannot find costs you nothing.
Do I need my practice management system connected?
No. This works on its own. Connecting your practice system is a separate product at $50 a month, billed separately.
How long does it take to start?
Book a 15-minute call and we send your sign-up link. Then add a patient and press check. There is nothing to install and nothing to connect first.
Price your own month before you decide
Add a patient, press check. Nothing to install and nothing to connect.