Can I move an in-progress IDR dispute to a new vendor?

Usually it is not worth it. A dispute that has been initiated is mid-process with offers and evidence in motion, and most agreements keep the filing vendor on it through decision. The standard pattern is old vendor finishes what it filed, new vendor takes everything from today forward.

Does my old IDR company keep a fee after I leave?

Check the tail provision. Most agreements keep the vendor's fee on recoveries from disputes it actually filed, even if payment arrives after termination, which is reasonable. A tail claiming a percentage of claims filed after you leave is not standard, and should be challenged.

What do I need from my old vendor before switching?

The claim inventory and the live deadline calendar: every out-of-network claim with payer, dates, and status, plus which No Surprises Act windows are currently open. With those two, a new vendor can take over without a dropped deadline; without them, claims silently age out during the transition.

Answers / Switching

Switching IDR companies without dropping deadlines

Groups switch IDR companies for three reasons: fee drag, no visibility into what is being filed in their name, and loss of control over offers. The switch itself is manageable because disputes are claim-level: in-flight cases usually finish under the old agreement while new claims route to the new vendor. The danger is the gap, because No Surprises Act deadlines run in business days and do not pause for a transition.

Why groups switch

The pattern in most switches is the same. The contingency fee that felt free at signup starts compounding as volume and awards grow, and the group realizes it is paying a percentage of a forum that awards around 4.7 times the qualifying payment amount. Or the vendor files in the group's name without showing which claims, which offers, or which deadlines are live, and the first visibility is a remittance. Or the group wants to set its own offer strategy and discovers the agreement does not let it. Fee drag, visibility, control: at least one of the three is behind nearly every change.

What happens to in-flight disputes

A No Surprises Act dispute belongs to the provider, not the vendor, but the work in progress usually belongs to the old agreement. Disputes already initiated typically finish under the old vendor and its fee terms, which is cleaner than transferring a half-built case between companies mid-arbitration. Read the agreement before giving notice, specifically the termination clause, any tail provision claiming fees on recoveries that land after termination, and how far the tail reaches. A tail on disputes the vendor actually filed is normal; a tail on your future claims is not, and it is worth negotiating out before you sign with anyone.

The handover

Two things must move, and both come from the old vendor or your own billing system. First, the claim inventory: every out-of-network claim with its payer, service dates, adjudication dates, and current status, so the new vendor can screen eligibility from day one. Second, the live deadline calendar: which claims are inside their 30 business day open negotiation window, which negotiations are running, and which disputes are awaiting offers or decisions. Portal access, payer correspondence, and past award records help, but the inventory and the calendar are the two assets a group cannot afford to lose in transit.

Avoiding the gap

Deadlines are where switches go wrong. Every eligible claim runs its own set of business-day deadlines, 30 to open negotiation, 30 of negotiation, 4 to initiate arbitration, and a claim that misses a window during the handover is not delayed, it is gone. The fix is an overlap, not a cutover: route new claims to the new vendor immediately, let the old vendor run its in-flight cases to completion, and have the new vendor rebuild the deadline calendar from the claim inventory before anyone turns anything off. A week of parallel coverage costs almost nothing against a batch of claims that quietly ages out.

Switch without a dropped window

Lido IDR onboards your claim inventory and rebuilds the deadline calendar before anything cuts over, then files for a flat fee per arbitration. Talk to an IDR specialist.