Most practices assume that if nothing has changed since their last renewal, nothing needs to be reviewed.
That assumption is usually wrong, and it can be expensive.
The Assumption That Costs Practices Money
Insurance premiums are built on classification codes: how each role within a practice is rated based on the work it actually involves. Those codes are set once, often early in a relationship with a carrier, and rarely revisited unless something prompts a closer look.
• Staff get hired, promoted, or shift responsibilities
• Job titles change without payroll classifications catching up
• Coding set years ago may no longer reflect how the practice actually operates
None of this shows up as a problem until someone looks for it.
How These Errors Happen
Most coding errors aren’t the result of a mistake at setup. They’re the result of growth that nobody circled back to update.
• A practice adds a second or third location and staff roles shift across sites
• A clinical assistant moves into more of an administrative role, or the reverse
• Part-time staff become full-time, or seasonal roles become permanent
Each change is small on its own. None of them trigger an automatic review. Over a few years, the gap between what’s on file and what’s actually happening can become significant.
What a Coding Review Actually Looks Like
This is the kind of detail that rarely gets attention during a standard renewal. Carriers process what’s submitted. They don’t flag what might be wrong unless it’s flagged for them.
A thorough coding review means going line by line through how each role is classified, comparing it against what that role actually does day to day, and asking a simple question: does this still make sense?
What We Found
In one recent review, a multi-provider practice had several staff members classified under a higher-rated code that no longer matched their actual responsibilities. The classification had carried over from years earlier, when those roles looked different than they do today.
Nobody had caught it. Not because anyone was careless, but because nobody was looking.
The Impact
Correcting the classification brought the practice’s premium back in line with its actual risk, saving the group thousands of dollars at renewal, with no change to their coverage and no gap in protection.
The fix didn’t require new coverage or a different carrier. It required someone to look closely at what was already there, and to ask a question that hadn’t been asked in years.
What This Means for Other Practices
This particular example involved payroll classifications, but the same principle applies across a policy. Limits set years ago, endorsements added for a situation that no longer exists, locations or services that were never updated after a change. None of it is dramatic on its own. All of it is worth checking.
Why This Isn’t a One-Time Fix
Practices change. Staff change. Without a regular review, small misalignments like this can sit unnoticed for years, quietly inflating costs the entire time.
How Unity Builds This Into the Relationship
This is the kind of review that doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when a broker treats the relationship as ongoing, not transactional.
• Reviewing classifications as part of regular check-ins, not just at renewal
• Asking questions about staffing and role changes throughout the year
• Catching discrepancies before they compound
