Guide
Documents Needed to Start a Group Practice and Where to get them
We often get asked - what documents do I need to get started? We’ve prepared a list below...
By Sam W.,
published 5/23/24
As we continue to scale Ply, we’ve had the pleasure of meeting many practice owners, from those just starting their practice journey to those working with tens and hundreds of providers.
This post is for the new practice owners! We often get asked - what documents do I need to get started, so we’ve prepared a list below:
Group legal entity
You will need to form an entity to get started. The choice of entity chosen will depend on if you are a licensed professional or can work with a licensed professional and which corporate structure you prefer (LLC/Corp). The most common choices we see at Ply are:
Professional Limited Liability Company (PLLC)
Professional Association (PA) - ie. a corporation for licensed professionals
C-corporation
Generally, it's best to form a professional entity (PLLC or PA) if possible - the reason for this is some payers look favorably on this entity type. However, we have success with enrollments for our c-corp customers as well!
Group NPI
You will need to create this on NPPES after entity formation. The turnaround time is ~3 weeks.
The link to NPPES can be found here.
Group TIN and W9
You will need to create a TIN with the IRS after entity formation. The turnaround time is the same day, unless the website is down.
Link to create a TIN.
Link to a blank W9 form to download, fill in, and sign.
Addresses: clinical address, mailing address, billing address
The key caveat with the address is that the clinical address needs to be in the state that you are trying to get contracted in and must be a physical address - it cannot be a PO box.
If you need an easy to use virtual mailbox for your mailing and billing address, we recommend Stable! We use Stable to manage our mail. You can use our ref link for 20% off.
Bank Letter
A lot of payers require you to set up a payment method as part of the contracting process.
We, and a lot of other startups, use Mercury. You can use our ref link for a $250 bonus when signing up.
Professional Liability Insurance
The coverage amount we see requested by most payers is min $1M / occurrence $3M aggregate.
We’ve seen a couple of our clients use this carrier.
Partnerships with provider(s)
If you are a provider, this step is already covered! If you are not a provider, then a consideration of getting your first contract is that you will need to partner with at least one provider.
Provider information requested for contracting includes standard information such as NPI, taxonomy and license(s).
That's it!
We know the above is a hefty list, but hopefully this post clears up what is required to get started with contracting and gives you some ideas on where to get these documents!
Once you’ve gathered your documents, you can submit your first contracting request to your payers of choice. If you’d like help with that, please feel free to reach out to us - we streamline contracting and credentialing using our user friendly platform and automation.
As we continue to scale Ply, we’ve had the pleasure of meeting many practice owners, from those just starting their practice journey to those working with tens and hundreds of providers.
This post is for the new practice owners! We often get asked - what documents do I need to get started, so we’ve prepared a list below:
Group legal entity
You will need to form an entity to get started. The choice of entity chosen will depend on if you are a licensed professional or can work with a licensed professional and which corporate structure you prefer (LLC/Corp). The most common choices we see at Ply are:
Professional Limited Liability Company (PLLC)
Professional Association (PA) - ie. a corporation for licensed professionals
C-corporation
Generally, it's best to form a professional entity (PLLC or PA) if possible - the reason for this is some payers look favorably on this entity type. However, we have success with enrollments for our c-corp customers as well!
Group NPI
You will need to create this on NPPES after entity formation. The turnaround time is ~3 weeks.
The link to NPPES can be found here.
Group TIN and W9
You will need to create a TIN with the IRS after entity formation. The turnaround time is the same day, unless the website is down.
Link to create a TIN.
Link to a blank W9 form to download, fill in, and sign.
Addresses: clinical address, mailing address, billing address
The key caveat with the address is that the clinical address needs to be in the state that you are trying to get contracted in and must be a physical address - it cannot be a PO box.
If you need an easy to use virtual mailbox for your mailing and billing address, we recommend Stable! We use Stable to manage our mail. You can use our ref link for 20% off.
Bank Letter
A lot of payers require you to set up a payment method as part of the contracting process.
We, and a lot of other startups, use Mercury. You can use our ref link for a $250 bonus when signing up.
Professional Liability Insurance
The coverage amount we see requested by most payers is min $1M / occurrence $3M aggregate.
We’ve seen a couple of our clients use this carrier.
Partnerships with provider(s)
If you are a provider, this step is already covered! If you are not a provider, then a consideration of getting your first contract is that you will need to partner with at least one provider.
Provider information requested for contracting includes standard information such as NPI, taxonomy and license(s).
That's it!
We know the above is a hefty list, but hopefully this post clears up what is required to get started with contracting and gives you some ideas on where to get these documents!
Once you’ve gathered your documents, you can submit your first contracting request to your payers of choice. If you’d like help with that, please feel free to reach out to us - we streamline contracting and credentialing using our user friendly platform and automation.
As we continue to scale Ply, we’ve had the pleasure of meeting many practice owners, from those just starting their practice journey to those working with tens and hundreds of providers.
This post is for the new practice owners! We often get asked - what documents do I need to get started, so we’ve prepared a list below:
Group legal entity
You will need to form an entity to get started. The choice of entity chosen will depend on if you are a licensed professional or can work with a licensed professional and which corporate structure you prefer (LLC/Corp). The most common choices we see at Ply are:
Professional Limited Liability Company (PLLC)
Professional Association (PA) - ie. a corporation for licensed professionals
C-corporation
Generally, it's best to form a professional entity (PLLC or PA) if possible - the reason for this is some payers look favorably on this entity type. However, we have success with enrollments for our c-corp customers as well!
Group NPI
You will need to create this on NPPES after entity formation. The turnaround time is ~3 weeks.
The link to NPPES can be found here.
Group TIN and W9
You will need to create a TIN with the IRS after entity formation. The turnaround time is the same day, unless the website is down.
Link to create a TIN.
Link to a blank W9 form to download, fill in, and sign.
Addresses: clinical address, mailing address, billing address
The key caveat with the address is that the clinical address needs to be in the state that you are trying to get contracted in and must be a physical address - it cannot be a PO box.
If you need an easy to use virtual mailbox for your mailing and billing address, we recommend Stable! We use Stable to manage our mail. You can use our ref link for 20% off.
Bank Letter
A lot of payers require you to set up a payment method as part of the contracting process.
We, and a lot of other startups, use Mercury. You can use our ref link for a $250 bonus when signing up.
Professional Liability Insurance
The coverage amount we see requested by most payers is min $1M / occurrence $3M aggregate.
We’ve seen a couple of our clients use this carrier.
Partnerships with provider(s)
If you are a provider, this step is already covered! If you are not a provider, then a consideration of getting your first contract is that you will need to partner with at least one provider.
Provider information requested for contracting includes standard information such as NPI, taxonomy and license(s).
That's it!
We know the above is a hefty list, but hopefully this post clears up what is required to get started with contracting and gives you some ideas on where to get these documents!
Once you’ve gathered your documents, you can submit your first contracting request to your payers of choice. If you’d like help with that, please feel free to reach out to us - we streamline contracting and credentialing using our user friendly platform and automation.
