Key takeaways
- Label the denominator beside each percentage.
- Hold grouping rules fixed across periods.
- Test fee and volume changes separately.
How do you read dental procedure mix?
Dentrix's Production Summary separates procedure quantity from billed amount; its percentage column uses charges. Payment adjustments do not change that billed total. Dentrix report reference, reviewed September 18, 2026.
Open Dental's grouped Daily Procedures Report also separates completed quantities from total fees. Open Dental procedure report, reviewed September 18, 2026. Check the target's actual report instead of assuming that every percentage beside a code is a share of procedure count.
Before comparing periods, save the included codes, completion rules, dates, providers and locations. Keep the group definitions fixed. If a code moves between groups, show the effect of that mapping change before calling the new percentage a change in the work performed. Do not alter clinical coding merely to improve a business comparison.
One service mix can produce two valid percentages
Consider this original, fictional count-and-charge example. Generic groups A and B are invented labels, not clinical categories. Each listed unit is counted once. All work is completed within the chosen period. No payment, adjustment, cost, patient-count or visit-count data is supplied. The amounts are not recommended fees.
| Invented group | Units | Charge per unit | Total charges | Share of units | Share of charges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 80 | $100 | $8,000 | 80% | 40% |
| B | 20 | $600 | $12,000 | 20% | 60% |
| Total | 100 | — | $20,000 | 100% | 100% |
Group B supplies one fifth of the units but three fifths of the charges. Neither percentage is wrong. Each answers a different question. The worksheet does not establish how much time either group needs or how many unique patients received care.
Test price and volume separately. First, keep quantities fixed and lower only B's assumed charge to $400. Total charges become $16,000. B still supplies 20% of units but now supplies 50% of charges. Its share of charges falls without any change in procedure count.
Restore the starting charges, then increase only B's units from 20 to 40. Total units become 120 and charges become $32,000. B supplies about 33.3% of units and 75% of charges. This is a hypothetical volume change, not evidence that the target could or should deliver that work.
What decision does the mix support?
Use unit shares to describe the distribution of counted work. Use charge shares to explain the composition of the stated billed total. Request actual time and cost evidence for a staffing or margin question. The case supplies neither, so no profit ranking can be drawn from it.
The hygiene value guide examines contribution after named costs. The production and collections guide reconciles charges with cash. Keep those decisions separate from this code-level composition check, then carry supported operating assumptions into the financing review.
For a potential sale, begin with seller-blind outreach that excludes owner and practice identity, exact location, financials and staff information. Obtain an NDA before an authorized buyer receives identifying reports. Time staff participation around actual reporting and transition duties. Use aggregate procedure groups for the initial commercial discussion; patient-level access needs its own review.
Summary
In the invented starting case, group B is 20% of units and 60% of charges. A fee-only change moves one share while leaving the other fixed. Name the measure and preserve the grouping rule before drawing a business conclusion. Bring those definitions to a DSO discussion or book an intro call with Jason Taken at HedgeStone.
Frequently asked questions
Why is group B 20% of units but 60% of charges?
The case has 20 of 100 units in B, carrying $12,000 of the $20,000 total charges.
Can charge mix change without more procedures?
Yes. The fee-only case keeps quantities fixed and makes B’s charge share 50%.
Does the table show collections or profit?
No. It contains only completed units and supplied charges, with no receipts or costs.
Is a high group share a reason to prescribe more care?
No. This reporting exercise does not assess patient needs or recommend a clinical mix.
Sources
Retrieval dates appear beside each source. Figures retain their stated observation years; retrieval does not make older data current.
- Dentrix: Production Summary · Retrieved
- Open Dental: Procedure report · Retrieved