How Dr. Pradhan Built a Thriving Orthopedic Clinic in Nine Months

Dr. Anup Pradhan spent years as an orthopedic surgeon in the MedCity Dallas hospital system, building a reputation for excellent outcomes and patient-first care. He had the clinical credentials, but not the billing expertise. He chose Atlas as his business partner so he could focus on the patient experience. Our job was to streamline the bureaucracy of the transition into private practice.

The challenge

When you start your own practice, there are a lot of complex operational tasks — credentialing with payers, securing malpractice insurance, setting up EHR systems — for any one doctor to handle alone. All the work to do can make it harder to focus on the important strategic questions. For Dr. Pradhan, some of these questions were:

• Which payers do I need to be in network with? Which ones offer me the best rates?
• Do I focus my clinic on office visits or procedures? How do I offer my patients a smooth post-op experience? Do I refer to trusted partners, or do it in-house?
• Should I buy imaging for my office or refer to an imaging center? How many patients do I need to see for the math to make sense?
• What technology systems can I use to make my life easier in 6 months?

What we did

Credentialing and payer strategy. We analyzed the payer landscape in the DFW market and used public price-transparency data to see which ones paid the best rates. We started negotiations with insurers demanding higher rates, and got up-front concessions based on his track record doing inpatient work.

Practice design and business planning. We built Dr. Pradhan a financial Excel model he could use to debate different decisions. We decided to move imaging in-house based on the numbers, and then found a physical therapy partner for that stage. This wasn’t just about convenience — it helped build a practice model that could be profitable in year one and grow from there. We referred back to this at monthly meetings to stay on track.

Billing and pre-authorization from day one. From the first patient encounter, Atlas handled the full revenue cycle — eligibility verification, prior authorizations, claim submission, denial management, and payment posting. Dr. Pradhan never had to think about billing. Every authorization was handled proactively so patients weren’t delayed and claims weren’t denied. The result: a denial rate under 5% from the very beginning.

Results

Despite the ups and downs that come with any new venture, OneOrtho hit profitability within its first year of operation. Billing went smoothly since the clinic had set up on good technology systems from the start, with payments regularly coming back in 21 days and very low denial rates. The practice achieved 17% profit margins, giving Dr. Pradhan the financial foundation to grow on his own terms.

Dr. Pradhan has been able to invest the profits in building out his team and — later in 2026 — hiring his first doctor to come aboard.