You Got The Contract! ...Now What?! Part 3: Contract Implementation

Published in Resources on September 10, 2025

By Melanie Ewald

Contract Implementation: Turning Agreements Into Revenue 

Securing a contract is worth celebrating—but what happens next is just as critical. Do you have a structured process for implementation, or does the contract sit in your inbox waiting for an issue to arise? A robust implementation workflow is essential to ensure accurate and timely reimbursement and avoid preventable denials. In this final article of the “Congrats! You Got the Contract, Now What?!” series we provide best practices for effective contract implementation to drive revenue from day one. For more on contract management and ensuring contract viability, see our previous articles:  

• Part 1: Key Provisions
• Part 2: Contract Maintenance 

Key Steps for Effective Contract Implementation  

Prepare Before Patient Services Begin 

Your first step is to make absolutely certain to obtain the fully executed contract and the payer’s provider manual. Once obtained, be sure to save the contract and the provider manual to your contract documentation repository be it a binder, a secure shared drive, or a contract management system. This is a critical element of your payer relations and contract management program that should never be dismissed. It will save you time and headache during your contract renewal preparation and in the event issues arise. 

Once step one is complete, your next steps should include, at a minimum, loading accurate contract details into your billing system, communicating contract-specific requirements to relevant teams, and performing a quality control review to ensure accuracy. Taking the time on the front end to execute these steps will ensure accurate, timely reimbursement and minimize avoidable denials. 

Identify Critical Contract Details 

Extract and distribute key provisions from the contract and provider manual, including: 

• Effective date (note: may differ from signature date) 
• Covered codes 
• Rates or fee schedules 
• Purchase vs. rental terms 
• Modifier and documentation requirements 
• Timely filing deadlines 
• Prior authorization rules 
• Other reimbursement methodologies (e.g., cost-plus, % of fee schedule, MSRP-based) 

Communicate with Impacted Teams 

This is a critical and often overlooked step when implementing contracts. A well-informed team will ensure contract compliance and timely, accurate reimbursement, and minimize denials so be sure to communicate the above contract specifics to each team impacted by the contract. Relevant teams commonly include intake, billing, operations, warehouse, and shipping. It is highly recommended to communicate the information using a contract launch profile document or detailed email, followed by a meeting or call. Contract launch meetings are particularly important if the contract requires special processes or requirements outside of your standard operating procedures. 

Conduct a Post-Launch Quality Review 

This rarely executed, but highly effective step, is worth the effort to catch issues early. The quality review should be as thorough as necessary to encompass standard and special processes and requirements outlined in the contract. Be sure to document the review carefully and schedule a follow up review if issues are identified. Performing quality reviews at contract launch and periodically thereafter will pay dividends in accurate reimbursement and reduced administrative burdens down the road. 

Why It Matters 

A well-executed contract launch process ensures your organization is positioned to maximize reimbursement, reduce administrative burden, and fully realize the value of your payer agreements.