FREE ASSESSMENT

Insurance Independence Readiness Scorecard

Discover where your practice stands and get a personalized roadmap to reduce insurance dependence.

What this scorecard measures

The Insurance Independence Readiness Scorecard is a free 15-question self-assessment built for dental practice owners who are evaluating whether — and how fast — to reduce their dependence on PPO insurance contracts. Each question covers one of five domains that determine how quickly a practice can transition without losing patients or revenue: financial stability, fee schedule strength, patient mix, marketing engine, and team alignment.

Your answers produce a single readiness score plus a personalized action plan. The scorecard takes about three minutes and does not require an email address.

The 5 readiness levels

Level 1 · Just Starting

Heavy PPO dependence, thin patient base, limited marketing. Focus on fee analysis and one-plan-at-a-time strategy.

Level 2 · Building

Some PPO reduction completed. Marketing in early stages. Ready to model membership plans or fee adjustments.

Level 3 · Transitioning

Solid revenue, strong fee schedule, dropping a plan within the next 6–12 months. Focus on patient communication and retention.

Level 4 · Independent

Out of network on most or all PPOs. Healthy new patient flow. Optimizing operations, hygiene production, and case acceptance.

Level 5 · Thriving

Fully fee-for-service or membership-based. Strong margin, predictable growth, mentoring others or scaling additional locations.

What you'll get

Why insurance independence matters now

Industry analysis shows U.S. dental practices typically write off 38–44% of revenue to PPO contracts — a margin most practice owners cannot afford to keep absorbing as supply, lab, and labor costs continue to rise. A 2024 ADA Health Policy Institute report found that more than 30% of practicing dentists are actively planning to drop one or more PPO plans within the next two years. The question is no longer whether to start the transition — it is how to plan it without losing patients or stalling revenue.

This scorecard is the entry point. After you finish, use the PPO Write-Off Calculator to see your annual write-off in dollars, then the Revenue Simulator to model the financial impact of dropping a specific plan, and the Membership Plan Calculator to design a patient retention engine.

Reviewed by Naren Arulrajah and Gary Takacs — Naren is CEO of Ekwa Marketing and has worked with 1,000+ dental practices across all 50 U.S. states. Gary is the founder of Thriving Dentist and has coached 2,200+ practices. Together they co-host the Less Insurance Dependence Podcast (listen here). Learn more on our About page.
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Frequently Asked Questions