Transparency

Sources & Methodology

Every statistic in our blog content is sourced from published industry research. Our analytical framework is igion.ai's own — built on established dental practice finance principles, not invented benchmarks. This page documents both.

igion.ai Methodology

Where igion.ai uses its own scoring or classification logic, we say so clearly. The following explains what is proprietary and what is established industry practice.

KEEP / MONITOR / RECONSIDER Framework

igion.ai's three-tier contract classification system is a proprietary methodology developed by the igion.ai team. It is built on financial benchmarks published by the ADA and widely used by dental practice management consultants, but the specific scoring thresholds, weighting, and classification logic are igion.ai's own. The framework operationalizes what consultants have long recommended — evaluate each carrier on its actual contribution to your practice's bottom line — into an automated, data-driven process.

Contract Health Score

The Contract Health Score is igion.ai's proprietary composite metric. It synthesizes net reimbursement rate, adjustment percentage, collections efficiency, and patient volume into a single score per carrier. The underlying inputs are standard dental practice financial metrics; the scoring algorithm and weighting are igion.ai's own design. The score is intended as a starting point for strategic conversations, not a definitive audit.

Net Reimbursement Rate Calculation

Net reimbursement rate = net collections ÷ gross production, expressed as a percentage. This is a standard dental practice finance metric used by accountants, consultants, and the ADA. igion.ai calculates this automatically from your PMS export data. The benchmark ranges cited in igion.ai content (e.g., 60–65% overhead) are sourced from ADA published data.

Lost to Contract vs. Lost to Collections

This distinction — separating contractual write-offs from operational collection failures — is a standard framework in dental practice financial management, widely used by dental CPAs and practice management consultants. igion.ai automates the calculation and presents it per carrier, but the underlying concept is established industry practice.

Data Sources Used in Analysis

igion.ai analyzes data you export from your practice management software (Dentrix, Eaglesoft, Open Dental, etc.). Patient-identifying columns are stripped automatically at ingestion before any data is stored. The tool works with carrier-level financial aggregates: production by carrier, adjustments by carrier, and collections by carrier. As disclosed in our Terms of Service, carrier-level aggregates may be incorporated into anonymized industry benchmarks — no patient or practice-identifying information is ever included. Practices may opt out of benchmarking at any time by contacting [email protected].

External Sources

Statistics and industry data cited in igion.ai blog articles are drawn from the following published sources.

ADA Research & Surveys

ADA Health Policy Institute — Economic Outlook and Dentist Well-Being Survey (2024)

Cited for statistics on dentists dropping insurance networks (23–30% in 2024, 33% considering in 2025) and primary reasons for network exits.

ADA Health Policy Institute — Dental Fees Survey (2023)

Source for the benchmark that PPO write-offs average 30–40% of gross production for participating practices.

ADA Health Policy Institute — Overhead Report

Source for the industry benchmark that practice overhead averages 60–65% of collections.

NADP — National Association of Dental Plans

NADP Dental Benefits Report: Enrollment (2025)

Source for the 2.3% decline in overall dental benefits enrollment in 2024.

NADP Industry Trends & Statistics

Background data on DPPO, DHMO, and discount plan enrollment trends.

Industry Publications

Becker's Dental Review — "29% of Dentists Dropped Insurers in 2025" (2026)

Cited for the 2025 figure on dentists dropping insurance networks.

Dental Town — PPO Participation and Network Analysis Articles

Background research on practitioner sentiment, administrative burden, and network participation trends.

Pearly — "Practices Drop Insurance Networks" (2024)

Supporting data on network exit trends and practitioner motivations.

PPO Negotiation & Consulting Sources

Veritas Dental Resources — PPO Write-Off Analysis

Supporting research on write-off calculation methodology and negotiation outcomes.

PPO Negotiation Specialist Industry Reports

Background data on typical fee increase outcomes (10–30%) from active carrier negotiations. Note: results vary significantly by market and carrier.

If you identify an error in any statistic or attribution, please contact us at [email protected]. We are committed to keeping our content accurate and will issue corrections promptly.