Hi {{firstname|everyone}},
I see the same issue play out across dental groups of all sizes. EBITDA looks healthy on paper, but it keeps getting chipped away month after month. Not by one big decision, but by dozens of small ones.
As groups scale across locations, the back office rarely scales with the same discipline. Each new practice adds people, systems, and slightly different ways of working. Staff costs rise faster than revenue, and EBITDA quietly takes the hit long before anyone labels it a structural problem.
This is where Global Capability Centres come into the picture. Not as a cost-cutting tactic, but as a way to rebuild how finance, revenue cycle, and reporting work across a growing dental group.
When done right, a globally-distributed business model can create a cleaner financial backbone that buyers understand and value.
Below are three shifts I see repeatedly in DSOs that use GCCs well.
1. Centralised Finance That Stops Cost Creep
In most dental groups, finance cost creep does not come from bad decisions. It comes from unmanaged growth. Each new practice brings its own bookkeeper, its own reporting rhythm, and its own interpretation of group policies.
Over time, finance becomes reactive. More people are added to cope with volume, not because capability has improved. That is when staff costs rise faster than EBITDA, and leadership loses a clear view of where money is actually going.
In a GCC-like model, instead of duplicating roles at every site, core finance activity is pooled, standardised, and run with clear ownership. When the same team handles reconciliations, reporting preparation, and close processes across all locations, variances stand out immediately, and cost discipline becomes easier to enforce.
EY’s latest report reveals 92% of finance leaders agree that India’s GCCs contribute far beyond cost arbitrage into value creation and operational excellence.
A GCC allows dental groups to centralise core finance work in one place, with one operating rhythm.
Standardise chart of accounts, month-end close, and reconciliations across all practices so costs are visible and comparable.
Move transactional finance and reporting preparation into the GCC so in-market teams focus on oversight, not data chasing.
Enforce one cadence for management reporting so leadership sees the same numbers, at the same time, every month.
2. Revenue Cycle Discipline That Improves Cash and EBITDA
Revenue cycle is where EBITDA quietly leaks in dental groups.
One practice follows up aggressively. Another lets claims age. Another writes off balances simply because no one has time to chase them. Individually, these issues look small. At group-level they add up to meaningful margin erosion.
A GCC allows DSOs to treat the revenue cycle as a controlled operational function rather than an administrative afterthought. Central teams develop repeatable processes, track outcomes across locations, and build institutional memory around what works.
This creates faster collections, fewer write-offs, and better predictability of cash flow, all of which flow straight into EBITDA without increasing clinical workload.
Fact is, companies that consolidate global finance and operational processes under a single centre can experience up to 30 to 60% savings in operational costs thanks to centralisation, process standardisation, and automation.
A GCC creates the scale and focus to professionalise revenue cycle management without inflating costs.
Centralise insurance verification, billing, and follow-ups so processes are consistent across locations.
Track denial reasons and payment delays centrally and fix root causes instead of firefighting practice by practice.
Build daily and weekly revenue dashboards that highlight issues early rather than waiting for month-end.
3. Management Reporting That Drives Better Decisions
As dental groups scale, leadership often ends up flying blind. This is where many groups struggle to explain performance to lenders or buyers, even when underlying operations are sound.
A GCC enables reporting depth and discipline because data is prepared centrally and consistently, and insights become faster and more reliable.
In fact, nearly 50% of GCC leaders now prioritise AI and analytics as core functions, indicating a shift toward data-driven reporting, forecasting, and performance visibility as part of the GCC mandate.
Leadership can see which practices are improving margin, which costs are drifting, and where intervention is needed. Over time, this level of clarity becomes a valuation lever because it signals operational control and scalability.
A GCC enables reporting depth without ballooning headcount.
Build practice-level and group-level dashboards that show profitability by location, clinician, and service line.
Produce consistent KPIs around staff costs, utilisation, and overhead ratios so trends are clear, not anecdotal.
Create a single source of truth that supports lenders, investors, and buyers with confidence.
This level of visibility does more than support operations. It strengthens valuation discussions by showing control, discipline, and repeatability.
Solution: Samera’s DSO Playbook Exit 2030
Most DSOs don’t lose value because growth stalls. They lose it because confidence does.
The DSO Exit 2030 Playbook is built around that reality. It focuses on the things investors react to long before numbers change. The objective is straightforward. Protect EBITDA while growth is happening and remove uncertainty before an exit is on the table.
If you want a clearer view of what actually sustains value through scale and into exit, the DSO Exit 2030 Playbook lays it out.
Cheers,
Arun