Proceed Finance — Implementation Playbook (DSO)

Executive Summary

Proceed Finance provides membership-based patient financing solutions that consolidate treatment costs, reduce administrative burden, and create predictable revenue streams for dental and specialty practices. The platform enables DSOs to implement a unified financing ecosystem across multiple locations while maintaining individual practice branding and autonomy.

Why DSOs Benefit: DSOs gain immediate advantages through centralized negotiation with financial partners, standardized workflow implementation across locations, consolidated reporting and compliance, and the ability to leverage member data across the group for risk assessment and program optimization. A typical DSO achieves 25-40% increase in case acceptance rates within 90 days.

Expected Timeline to Full Deployment: 16 weeks from kickoff to full operational maturity across all locations, with measurable ROI appearing by week 8.

Pre-Implementation Checklist (Weeks 1-2)

Technical Requirements

• Infrastructure Assessment

  • Confirm all practice management systems (Dentrix, Eaglesoft, Open Dental, etc.) can integrate via API or HL7
  • Verify internet bandwidth at each location (minimum 10 Mbps recommended)
  • Ensure staff devices support modern browsers (Chrome, Safari, Edge—no IE11)
  • Validate VPN/security protocols if remote staff will access the system

• Data Audit

  • Export 90 days of treatment plans from each location for baseline analysis
  • Identify and reconcile duplicate patient records across locations
  • Document current financing vendors and contract termination dates
  • Audit existing membership/discount programs for conflict resolution

• Compliance Verification

  • Confirm state licensing requirements for membership programs in each jurisdiction
  • Review current financing disclosure language against Proceed's templates
  • Document any existing arbitration clauses or patient agreements that conflict
  • Validate HIPAA Business Associate Agreement (BAA) is in place with Proceed Finance

Stakeholder Alignment

• Core Implementation Committee (establish in Week 1)

  • Chief Financial Officer or equivalent
  • IT/Operations Director
  • Patient coordinator lead from pilot location
  • Clinical director (1 dentist/hygiene lead)
  • Compliance/Legal representative

• Executive Buy-In Session

  • Present 90-minute overview with peer DSO case studies
  • Establish clear success metrics (patient acceptance rate, average case value, admin time reduction)
  • Define decision authority and escalation path for issues
  • Set realistic expectations: Week 1-3 adoption will be slower than weeks 4-6

• Location-Level Briefing

  • Schedule 30-minute kickoff at each pilot location
  • Emphasize patient benefit narrative (flexible payments, no interest, transparent pricing)
  • Distribute one-page quick-reference guides
  • Establish location champion (highest-enthusiasm staff member)

Baseline Metrics to Capture

Before Week 3 begins, establish a clean data snapshot:

Pilot Wave (Weeks 3-6)

Location Selection Criteria

Choose 2-3 pilot locations that meet these criteria:

✓ High-volume practices (minimum 400 active patients): Provides sufficient case flow to validate workflows

✓ Staff enthusiasm: Location leadership has expressed excitement in Week 2 briefing

✓ Operational maturity: Established patient coordinator role; consistent treatment planning process

✓ Diverse patient demographics: Avoid skewing results with unusual patient composition

✓ Willingness to document feedback: Staff agree to 15-minute weekly debrief sessions

❌ Avoid: Locations with recent staff turnover, those mid-rebrand, or practices with existing heavy membership program dependence

Configuration and Setup

Week 3 Activities:

1. Proceed Finance onboarding call (2 hours)

   • Review DSO-level contract terms and white-label options
   • Confirm member eligibility rules (age, credit floor, etc.)
   • Set up SSO (Single Sign-On) credentials for all staff

2. PMS Integration

   • Deploy Proceed's integration module into live PMS
   • Test 3-way sync: (a) treatment plan sync to Proceed, (b) patient enrollment status sync back to PMS, (c) transaction logging
   • Run 2 mock transactions end-to-end before live use

3. Patient-Facing Materials

   • Customize Proceed's white-label landing page with DSO logo/colors
   • Print co-branded "financing available" signage for treatment areas
   • Deploy QR codes linking to Proceed enrollment
   • Customize email templates with location-specific signatures

Weeks 4-5 Activities:

4. Staff Training (location-based, 90 minutes per cohort)

   • Front desk: Patient application intake, status checking, data privacy
   • Clinical: When to introduce financing, how to answer basic questions (delegate complex questions to coordinators)
   • Patient coordinators: Complete Proceed training certification (4-hour online module)
   • Compliance lead: Monthly review of disclosures, consent forms, state-specific rules

5. Patient Communication Launch

   • Soft launch: Offer Proceed to 15-20 qualifying patients (treatment plans >$1,500)
   • Measure initial adoption and gather feedback
   • Make 3 process refinements based on first-week feedback
   • Week 5: Full launch to all eligible patients

Week 6 Checkpoint:

• Minimum 40 active members enrolled (2 locations × 20)
• Zero compliance incidents in disclosure/agreement process
• Staff time per application conversation: <10 minutes (down from typical 20 minutes with legacy vendor)
• Patient satisfaction survey score: >4.2/5 on speed and ease of enrollment

Scaled Rollout (Weeks 7-16)

Wave Planning

Wave 2 (Weeks 7-9): Add 4-6 locations

• Leverage pilot location staff as peer trainers
• Reduce training time to 60 minutes (processes now documented)
• Expect faster adoption: 60+ members per location by end of Week 9

Wave 3 (Weeks 10-12): Add remaining 50% of locations

• Implement peer-to-peer training model
• Deploy standardized "Proceed rollout" package (digital + printed collateral)
• Launch DSO-level data dashboard for CFO to track adoption across all locations

Wave 4 (Weeks 13-16): Final locations + optimization

• By this stage, Proceed should be integrated into standard new-patient onboarding
• Shift from training to optimization of edge cases
• Implement advanced features (tiered membership plans, corporate account options)

Change Management

Resistance Points to Anticipate:

1. "This replaces our current financing vendor" (clinical staff concern)

   • Clarify: Proceed is a financing vendor, but offers better integration and data visibility
   • Show side-by-side comparison: application time, approval speed, patient satisfaction

2. "Our patients won't qualify" (patient coordinator skepticism)

   • Run cohort analysis with Proceed: show 65-75% of $1,500+ plans will qualify for membership
   • Demonstrate soft credit check doesn't impact credit score (Proceed uses alternative data)

3. "This adds work to my day" (front desk resistance)

   • Measure actual time: most staff complete intake in <5 minutes after 10 applications
   • Show reduction in payment-plan phone calls and collections friction

Active Mitigation:

• Champions network: Establish monthly 30-minute calls with location leads; celebrate wins
• Transparency reports: Weekly DSO email highlighting top performers and adoption metrics
• Feedback loop: Monthly surveys asking staff what's working/what's broken; communicate fixes within 2 weeks
• Incentive alignment: Consider staff bonuses for locations hitting enrollment milestones

Support Infrastructure

Tier 1 Support (Location-Based):

• Designated location champion receives daily Slack/email access to Proceed