The Course

The Course

A watch-and-listen path through the accepted YouTube videos and podcasts sourced for the Unlock content library.

Modules7
Lessons148
YouTube90
Podcasts58
Articles linked37

10 lessons

Orientation And Core Strategy

core-001, core-019, core-037
podcast high

PPO Participation

Dental Code Advisor Podcast / Practice Booster · with Penny Reed · 2022-03-24

Open source

Directly addresses when PPO participation helps or hurts a practice, matching the add, keep, renegotiate, or drop decision logic.

PPO participation, plan evaluation, join vs exit decisions, chair-hour value, insurance participation

Open source

Articles: core-001, core-019, core-022, core-023, core-027

45 lessons

Fee Economics And Negotiation

core-002, core-003, core-004, core-005, core-013, core-014, core-015, core-016, core-017, core-018
podcast high

Stop Guessing Your PPO Fees: Participation, Negotiation & Optimization with Unitas

Dental Billing Academy / eAssist · with Dr. Iris Han and Phylip Curtis · 2026-05-12

Open source

Directly addresses how dental practices misunderstand PPO network agreements and how that affects reimbursements, estimates, collections, and financial performance.

PPO participation, direct contracts, leased networks, reimbursement impact, negotiation strategy, participation optimization

Open source

Articles: core-002, core-019

podcast high

PPO Power Plays

The Raving Patients Podcast · with Dana Moss · 2025-12-26

Open source

Strong private-practice economics fit: negotiation readiness, fee-schedule discipline, PPO exits, and cash-flow impact are central to the episode.

PPO fee negotiation, fee schedules, 80th percentile fees, umbrella plans, exiting low-paying plans, outsourcing PPO work

Open source

Articles: core-002, core-005, core-019

podcast high

1798: The PPO Playbook

The Dentalpreneur Podcast · with Shelley DeGroff · 2023-09-13

Open source

A dedicated PPO-contract episode with a negotiation consultant, built around practice revenue, fee schedules, and PPO participation decisions.

PPO negotiations, umbrella networks, fee schedules, reducing PPO dependence, onboarding timeline, contract strategy

Open source

Articles: core-002, core-019

youtube high

Tips for Dental PPO Fee Negotiation and Credentialing

Patient Prism · with Harold Gornbein of Apex Reimbursement Specialists · unknown

Directly addresses dental PPO fee negotiation and credentialing, which maps cleanly to whether fees can be negotiated and what the process involves.

PPO fee negotiation, credentialing, insurance participation, reimbursement strategy

Open source

Articles: core-003, core-004, core-013, core-015, core-016, core-018, core-019, core-028, core-029, core-030, core-031

youtube high

The complexities of PPO Fee Negotiations in 2025

Insurance Untangled · with Ben Tuinei and Tessina Bullock · unknown

Current enough to help describe modern negotiation complexity without turning the article into a generic insurance explainer.

2025 PPO negotiations, payer behavior, dental insurance strategy

Open source

Articles: core-003

youtube high

Fee Schedule Analysis

Dental Advocacy Group · 2022-04-22

Directly frames when a practice should run a fee schedule analysis and is tightly aligned with the article's worked-example angle.

dental PPO fee schedule analysis, multiple insurance contracts, reimbursement review

Open source

Articles: core-004

podcast high

2024 Trends in PPOs

ACT Dental / PPO Advisors · with Shelley DeGroff · unknown

Very strong fit because the notes call out evaluating fee schedules, understanding write-off percentages, auditing EOBs, credentialing, and assessing PPO mix.

PPO trends, write-off percentages, fee schedule evaluation, EOB audits, PPO mix

Open source

Articles: core-004

podcast high

Fee Negotiation and Credentialing with Angie Holland

Growth in Dentistry / Dental Intelligence · with Angie Holland · unknown

Open source

The show notes directly reference evaluating UCR, current fee schedules, and third-party agreements, which maps well to comparing top procedure codes against PPO allowed amounts.

insurance fee negotiation, credentialing, UCR fees, current fee schedules, third-party agreements, fee optimization

Open source

Articles: core-004, core-005

youtube high

How to Calculate Your Insurance Write-off Fee

Thriving Dentist · 2023-05-27

Compact owner-facing explainer for the arithmetic behind write-offs, useful for examples showing office fee minus PPO allowed or contracted fee.

insurance write-off, allowable amount, fee schedules, contractual obligation

Open source

Articles: core-005, core-029

youtube medium

Calculate your PPO Write-off with Ben and Naren

RID Journal · with Ben Tuinei · 2023-02-10

Short but directly framed around what a practice could charge without PPO restrictions and how to think about the PPO write-off.

PPO write-off, UCR fees, PPO restrictions, dental practice fees

Open source

Articles: core-005

podcast high

PPO Masterclass

PPO Advisors · with Shelley DeGroff · unknown

Open source

Owner-level source tying master fees, PPO contracted schedules, shared networks, EOB tracking, and write-offs into one strategic explanation. Vendor-owned content, so useful but biased.

master fee schedule, PPO negotiation, credentialing, fee analysis, EOB tracking, write-offs, umbrella networks, reimbursement stacking

Open source

Articles: core-005, core-020

youtube high

How Profitable are Your PPO Contracts?

Dental Strategy Institute · with Pete Volk · unknown

Directly matches the article angle: which PPO contracts are hurting profitability and how to evaluate them by payer or contract.

PPO contract profitability, carrier-level plan analysis, write-offs, collections

Open source

Articles: core-014

podcast high

775: PPO Write-Offs Demystified

The Best Practices Show / ACT Dental · with Christina Byrne · 2024

Open source

The episode is explicitly about demystifying PPO write-offs and is tightly aligned with calculating and reducing write-offs.

PPO write-offs, retaining collections, fee schedules, PPO strategy

Open source

Articles: core-014

podcast high

The Good, Bad and Ugly of Fee Schedules in Dentrix

The High Performing Dental Team · with Dayna Johnson · 2025-08-04

Practical explanation of how allowed amounts and fee schedules affect insurance estimates, adjustments, and reporting accuracy.

allowed amount method, fee schedule method, Dentrix setup, EOBs, adjustments, reporting

Open source

Articles: core-014

podcast high

Your Guide to Reducing Dental Insurance Dependence

Bite-Sized Dental Marketing · with Sandi Hudson of Unlock the PPO · 2025-10-31

Open source

Frames insurance dependence as both a financial and emotional cost, with emphasis on dentists working harder while taking home less.

insurance dependence, shrinking reimbursements, profit drain, patient retention, going out of network

Open source

Articles: core-017

podcast high

How to Win At Fee For Service and PPO Dentistry

Just a Couple of Dentists · with Dr. Deren Flesher; Dr. Erik Zundo · 2025-12-09

Useful contrast between long-term FFS and PPO-heavy practice models, especially for patient mix and model-dependence arguments.

FFS vs PPO, PPO-heavy practice, patient expectations, volume vs relationships, practice model fit

Open source

Articles: core-017

30 lessons

Network Architecture

core-007, core-008, core-009, core-010, core-011, core-012, core-023
youtube high

What Are The Umbrella PPO plans?

Thriving Dentist · 2023-08-19

The title and summary directly align with umbrella PPO participation, one of the article's key architecture concepts.

umbrella PPO plans, dental PPO participation, network stacking

Open source

Articles: core-007, core-009

youtube high

Dental Insurance Renegotiations - Unlock the PPO & Dental EMR Endodontic Practice Software

Dental EMR - Modern Endodontic Practice Management · with Unlock the PPO representative · 2025-04-18

Long-form discussion involving Unlock the PPO and dental insurance renegotiation, likely useful for article-aligned framing and internal voice consistency.

PPO renegotiation, specialist practice reimbursement, dental insurance contracts, network participation

Open source

Articles: core-007

podcast high

1713: Cracking the PPO Code

The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes · with Shelley DeGroff, PPO Advisors · 2023-05-22

Open source

The episode description names PPO contract negotiation and PPO Advisors, making it a practitioner source for how PPO participation affects practice economics.

PPO contracts, negotiation, insurance providers, revenue impact, dental practice operations

Open source

Articles: core-007

podcast medium

1898: Solving the PPO Riddle Pt. 1

The Dentalpreneur Podcast w/ Dr. Mark Costes · with Vivek Kinra, PPO Profits · 2024-01-16

Open source

Useful for credentialing and fee schedule mechanics, especially the distinction between being in network and understanding the path that made that status happen.

PPO credentialing, fee schedules, insurance contract negotiation, practice launch

Open source

Articles: core-007

youtube high

Guest speaker: Dental credentialing insights with Shelley DeGroff

Wisdom · with Shelley DeGroff, PPO Advisors · 2024-05-29

The companion notes define an umbrella company as a third-party administrator that expands network reach and uses one negotiable fee schedule.

dental credentialing, umbrella companies, TPAs, network-of-networks, PPO contracting, fee schedules, reimbursement audits

Open source

Articles: core-008

podcast high

#30: Mike Alder on Managing Third Party Payors

The Dentist Money Show / Dentist Advisors · with Mike Alder, CEO of Unitas Dental · 2016-07-06

Dental-industry discussion of managing third-party payor relationships, adjacent to how TPAs and PPO networks affect reimbursement.

third-party payors, PPO relationships, insurance company partnerships, rate management, dental pricing

Open source

Articles: core-008

podcast medium

Dental Billing Academy - ep 23: Working with a 3rd party

Dental Billing Academy · with Allison · 2021-09-14

Open source

Useful for explaining the administrative side of third parties in dental claims and billing, though it is more about billing vendors than benefit-plan TPAs.

third-party billing companies, dental revenue cycle, claims workflow, communication, operations, reimbursement outcomes

Open source

Articles: core-008

podcast medium

Is my dentist scamming me?

Vox / Explain It to Me · with Dr. Lisa Simon · 2024-09-18

Open source

Public-facing context for why dental insurance feels unlike medical insurance; useful background for why TPAs and PPO arrangements matter to reimbursement.

dental insurance structure, billing differences, discount-plan framing, patient cost exposure, dental vs medical insurance

Open source

Articles: core-008

youtube high

Understanding Dental PPO Contracts: How to Improve Reimbursements and Increase Practice Value

Integrity Practice Sales · with Tracey Gutzmer · 2026-02-06

Best direct match found; chapters include direct contracts vs umbrella networks, shared networks and surprise PPO changes, and stacked contracts.

direct contracts, umbrella networks, leased networks, stacked contracts, shared networks, insurance maps, fee schedules, UCR billing

Open source

Articles: core-009, core-010, core-011, core-013, core-015, core-016, core-018

youtube high

Connection Dental & CIGNA Relationship

Apex Reimbursement Specialists · 2016-12-28

Short but specific public example of a carrier/network relationship changing, with direct Cigna contracting presented as one path after umbrella access changes.

Connection Dental, Cigna, umbrella access, direct contracting, network access changes, DPPO members

Open source

Articles: core-009

podcast high

How to Increase Revenues in Your Dental Practice with PPOs

Art of Dental Finance and Management · with Clint Johnson · 2021-02-10

Open source

Useful for carrier-variation warnings because the description references tiered networks and avoiding unknowingly joining one PPO plan connected to many others.

PPO contracts, tiered networks, fee schedules, plan selection, unknowingly signing into multiple plans, reimbursement strategy

Open source

Articles: core-009, core-010

youtube high

Stop Guessing Your PPO Fees: Participation, Negotiation & Optimization with Unitas

eAssist Dental Solutions / Dental Billing Academy · with Dr. Iris Han; Phylip Curtis, Unitas PPO Solutions · 2026-05-08

Strong match for explaining why a payer list is not enough; it connects participation type to actual reimbursement and patient estimates.

PPO participation, direct contracts, leased networks, umbrella networks, reimbursement, fee schedules

Open source

Articles: core-010, core-011, core-015, core-022, core-023, core-026, core-027, core-037

podcast high

Episode #348: The Tangled Web of Umbrella Plans

Less Insurance Dependence Podcast · with Gary Takacs and Naren Arulrajah · 2025-06-12

Open source

Supports the map-as-control-document angle: practices may think they left one plan, then discover through EOBs that an umbrella route still applies.

umbrella PPO plans, hidden participation, network outsourcing, EOB discovery, resignation SOPs

Open source

Articles: core-010, core-011, core-023

podcast high

Episode #284: The PPO Umbrella Nightmare

Less Insurance Dependence Podcast · with Gary Takacs and Naren Arulrajah · 2024-03-21

Open source

Frames umbrella PPO plans as a hidden source of increased write-offs and trapped participation, matching the article's reimbursement leakage angle.

PPO umbrella plans, hidden write-offs, resignation strategy, reimbursement leakage, insurance dependence

Open source

Articles: core-011, core-023

podcast high

Episode 253: Have you Been Roped Into Umbrella PPO Plans?

Less Insurance Dependence Podcast · with Gary Takacs and Naren Arulrajah · 2023-08-17

Public episode page says umbrella plans can hide true plan involvement and complicate PPO exits.

umbrella PPO plans, plan involvement, resignation notice periods, active patient data, insurance adjustments

Open source

Articles: core-011

youtube medium

5 Ways to Increase PPO Reimbursement with eAssist and Unitas

Henry Schein Dental · with Natalie and Chloe from eAssist / Unitas PPO Solutions · 2023-04-03

Useful supporting media for how PPO reimbursement can leak through claims handling and contract strategy, though less specific to stacking than the umbrella-network episodes.

PPO reimbursement, claims routing, fee negotiation, billing and coding, reimbursement optimization

Open source

Articles: core-011

5 lessons

Vendor Evaluation

core-006
podcast high

145. Creating a Profitable Practice using Fee Negotiations with Kelsey Porter of Beacon PPO Solutions

Growth in Dentistry: A Dental Intelligence Podcast · with Kelsey Porter of Beacon PPO Solutions · 2026-04-06

Open source

Strong fit for pricing, process, and what the owner should expect from a vendor's workflow. Vendor guest makes it useful but biased.

PPO fee negotiations, negotiation cadence, first offers, leased networks, carrier leverage, process timeline, practice workload

Open source

Articles: core-006

podcast high

PPO Fee Negotiations

Dental Code Advisor Podcast · with Christi Billquist of Unitas PPO Solutions · 2022-05-10

Open source

Good source for the audit, optimize, and identify-leased-network section. Vendor-owned perspective through Unitas, so useful but biased.

PPO fee negotiation climate, network optimization, direct vs leased arrangements, annual PPO audit, credentialing

Open source

Articles: core-006

podcast high

Episode 240: Dental PPO Negotiations for Dummies

Working Interferences Dental Podcast · 2023-07-27

Open source

Useful counterweight because it discusses a scenario where a third-party PPO negotiator cannot get all relevant information.

practice purchase, credentialing, fee-for-service transition, PPO third-party negotiators, missing information, owner decision-making

Open source

Articles: core-006

podcast medium

Healthy Approach to Dental Benefit Plans with Teresa Duncan

The Better Dental Life Podcast · with Teresa Duncan of Odyssey Management · 2023-12-19

Open source

Not narrowly about negotiation vendors, but useful for evaluating whether a vendor's advice fits real front-office insurance operations. Guest sells insurance education, so useful but biased.

dental benefit plans, dental insurance coding, office manager training, practice strategy, insurance trends

Open source

Articles: core-006

podcast medium

Who Teaches Dentists to Dump Dental Insurance Plans?

The My Practice My Business Dental Podcast · 2022-03-28

Open source

Useful for the conflicts-of-interest section because it frames one consultant stance against another: drop plans vs learn to operate profitably with them.

PPO participation, dropping insurance plans, profitability with PPOs, consultant claims, practice leadership

Open source

Articles: core-006

15 lessons

Add, Drop, And Patient Retention

core-020, core-021, core-022, core-023, core-024
youtube high

Numbers and all about dental insurance

The Dental Marketer · with Lisa Weber, Unlock The PPO · unknown

Directly addresses whether startup practices should accept PPOs, framing PPOs as a patient-acquisition channel with real fee-discount cost.

startup dental practice, adding PPOs, PPOs as marketing, patient acquisition, fee schedules, insurance participation, numbers and ROI

Open source

Articles: core-020

youtube high

PPO Masterclass

PPO Advisors · with Shelley DeGroff · 2024-03-22

Concrete discussion of how PPO participation affects profit and operations, with timestamps around negotiation and credentialing. Vendor-owned content, so useful but biased.

PPO management, credentialing, negotiation process, TPAs/shared agreements, profitability, insurance company pressure

Open source

Articles: core-020, core-026

podcast high

The PPO Playbook

The Dentalpreneur Podcast · with Shelley DeGroff · 2024-03-22

Strong fit for timing and capacity questions because the episode discusses reducing PPO dependence and thresholds for a healthy balance.

PPO dependence, growth strategy, fee negotiation, practice revenue, contract strategy

Open source

Articles: core-020, core-025, core-026, core-035

podcast medium

Cracking the PPO Code

The Dentalpreneur Podcast · with Shelley DeGroff · 2024-03-22

Useful supporting episode on how PPO contracts and verification work, though less specifically about when to add than the Playbook and Dental Marketer items.

PPO contract negotiation, insurance verification, fee schedules, practice profitability

Open source

Articles: core-020, core-025, core-026, core-035

podcast high

Staying Motivated as You Go out of Network

Less Insurance Dependence Podcast · with Gary Takacs; Naren Arulrajah · 2024-10-10

Useful for the readiness and team-morale side of a PPO transition.

out-of-network transition, team motivation, patient concern handling, PPO resignation anxiety

Open source

Articles: core-021

podcast high

PPO Fee Negotiations

Dental Code Advisor / Practice Booster · with Christi Billquist · 2022-05-10

Open source

Fee negotiation context helps distinguish plans that should be negotiated first from plans that should be dropped.

PPO contracting, PPO fee negotiations, dental insurance contracts, reimbursement strategy

Open source

Articles: core-022, core-027

youtube high

How to Explain Dental Insurance to Patients

Front Office Coach / Team Culture Works · with none · 2019-05-18

Staff communication determines whether patients understand and stay through an insurance-status change.

dental insurance explanation, front office communication, patient scripting, benefits conversation

Open source

Articles: core-024

20 lessons

Startup PPO Strategy

core-025, core-026, core-027, core-028, core-029, core-030
podcast high

Solving the PPO Riddle Pt. 1

The Dentalpreneur Podcast · with Vivek Kinra · 2024-01-16

Open source

It is focused on PPO contracting strategy, credentialing, fee schedules, and insurance negotiation.

PPO strategy, credentialing, fee schedules, insurance negotiation, NPI, contracting

Open source

Articles: core-025, core-027

podcast high

Solving the PPO Riddle Pt. 2

The Dentalpreneur Podcast · with Vivek Kinra · 2024-01-17

Open source

It continues the startup-relevant discussion on negotiable fee schedules and credentialing value.

PPO fee schedules, credentialing, contract negotiation, dental reimbursements, NPI

Open source

Articles: core-025

youtube medium

Streamline Your Credentialing Process

PPO Advisors · with Shelley DeGroff · 2024-11-04

It is a concrete credentialing-focused PPO Advisors video for new and transitioning providers.

dental credentialing, provider transitions, PPO process, insurance applications

Open source

Articles: core-025

podcast high

The Dental Marketer Podcast #75

The Dental Marketer · with Lisa Weber · 2017-08-11

Open source

It directly addresses whether first-time practice owners should accept every PPO plan and why fee schedule math matters before signing.

dental startup PPO selection, PPO participation, fee schedule awareness, insurance as marketing, practice numbers

Open source

Articles: core-026, core-035

podcast high

Credentialing for a Dental Practice Transition

Dental Acquisition Unscripted · with Stafani Sandoval · 2023-06-09

Open source

It is a focused episode on credentialing in a dental practice transition, where contracting and credentialing are often confused.

dental credentialing, dental acquisition, practice transition, payer enrollment

Open source

Articles: core-027

youtube medium

Payer Enrollment with Megan Struxness

Stedi · with Megan Struxness · unknown

It is not dental-specific, but payer enrollment mechanics are relevant to credentialing and effective-date risk.

payer enrollment, enrollment workflow, healthcare contracting, effective dates

Open source

Articles: core-030

23 lessons

Implementation And Verification

core-031, core-032, core-033, core-034, core-035, core-036
youtube high

Payer Contract Effective Dates

Navigating the Business of Medicine · with none · unknown

It directly matches the article's operational point that payer contract effective dates must be tracked and verified.

payer contract effective dates, credentialing, revenue cycle operations, provider enrollment

Open source

Articles: core-032

youtube medium

Learn to Read a Dental Insurance EOB

Dentistry Support, LLC TM · with none · unknown

EOB literacy supports detecting missed fee schedule updates, underpayments, and contract mismatches.

EOB monitoring, dental insurance, payment review, billing training

Open source

Articles: core-032

youtube high

Open Dental Webinar - Advanced Fee Schedules

Open Dental Software · with none · unknown

Official Open Dental training on advanced fee schedule handling is directly relevant for maintenance.

Open Dental, advanced fee schedules, practice management software, dental billing setup

Open source

Articles: core-033

youtube high

QuickTip: Creating a New Fee Schedule

Open Dental Software · with none · unknown

It shows the specific setup action of creating a fee schedule inside Open Dental.

Open Dental, creating fee schedules, software setup, dental practice management

Open source

Articles: core-033

youtube high

QuickTip: Editing Fees in a Fee Schedule

Open Dental Software · with none · unknown

It focuses on maintaining fee values, which keeps PPO fee schedules accurate over time.

Open Dental, editing fees, fee schedule maintenance, reimbursement accuracy

Open source

Articles: core-033

youtube high

Calculating Dental Insurance Payments

Academy Of Dental Practice Careers · with none · 2014-04-20

It gives practical background on how dental insurance payments are calculated against contracted or allowed fees.

dental insurance payments, allowed amounts, patient portion, reimbursement math

Open source

Articles: core-034

youtube medium

The Best Way to Track Unpaid Dental Claims

Dental Claim Support · with none · 2024-04-09

Tracking unpaid claims supports the same revenue-control workflow as catching underpaid negotiated PPO fees.

unpaid dental claims, claims tracking, insurance AR, follow-up workflow

Open source

Articles: core-034

youtube high

How Do I Reduce My PPO Writeoffs?

The Best Practices Show · with Sandi Hudson · 2018-11-16

It focuses on reducing PPO write-offs with Sandi Hudson, directly matching reimbursement-analysis work.

PPO write-offs, dental insurance dependence, reimbursement strategy, Unlock The PPO

Open source

Articles: core-036