In-network contract

Definition

The agreement with a commercial payer that sets what a center is paid per visit and whether it is paid at all.

Why It Matters

Read every payer contract for its rates, its term and its change-of-ownership clause, because the contracts are what the reimbursement per visit rests on and a lapse stalls revenue after closing. Payer credentialing is the provider's approval to bill a plan; the contract is the entity's price, and both have to survive the sale. Map the timeline early: some payers re-contract on a change of control and take months to do it, so the sequence of notices, applications and effective dates belongs in the closing checklist beside the license transfers.