Lightspun, an AI-powered dental insurance administration platform supporting more than 175,000 providers across the US, has partnered with Specialty Dental Brands (SDB), a Nashville-based support organisation for orthodontists, paediatric dentists and oral surgeons, to automate provider onboarding and credentialing across its network of 300 providers in 25 states.
Since implementing the platform, SDB has reduced provider onboarding times from six to 12 weeks to less than two weeks.
Provider onboarding and credentialing can be a lengthy process, requiring licences, credentials and clinical records to be verified before dentists can treat insured patients or submit claims. According to Lightspun, the process can take 90–120 days, during which practices may lose revenue while providers wait to join insurance networks.
Lightspun said up to 85% of initial enrolment applications contain missing or inconsistent information, with errors potentially resulting in further delays.
An analysis by TechTarget, using US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, found that dentists can lose up to $87,274 during a typical 120-day credentialing period.
Lightspun’s platform automates provider onboarding and credentialing through a partnership with the American Dental Association (ADA), connecting with the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH) provider data system. According to the company, providers complete their CAQH information once, after which Lightspun manages the remaining onboarding process.
The platform is also an NCQA-certified Credentialing Verification Organisation, with certification covering all 11 verification services. Lightspun said this enables insurers to accept verified credentials without repeating the verification process.
“Tracking provider onboarding and credentialing submissions has been a key component in streamlining internal processes as we continue to grow as an organisation,” said Hilary Dennis, credentialing system analyst at Specialty Dental Brands. “We have gone from six to 12 weeks down to less than two weeks.”
Dennis added that the implementation was straightforward compared with previous software transitions and highlighted the support provided by Lightspun’s team.
“Credentialing should not keep a qualified dentist from treating patients for months,” said Shaju Puthussery, co-founder and chief executive officer of Lightspun. “By replacing manual onboarding and insurance applications, its team can bring providers into the network faster and support that growth without adding administrative work.”
The partnership comes as the dental sector faces pressure to modernise administrative processes. The 2025 CAQH Index estimated that US healthcare providers could achieve $21bn in potential savings by reducing manual administrative workflows, while new state-level requirements are also placing greater emphasis on the proportion of insurance premiums directed towards patient care.
