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Sydra vs. a contingency firm
You don't need convincing that federal IDR recovers money — you've seen it. The real question is how much of that recovery you keep, and whether the share you give up should keep growing as your volume does. A contingency firm takes a percentage of every dollar, indefinitely. Sydra is a flat, predictable fee — less than half of a typical contingency rate — so the cost of the service stops scaling against you at exactly the point your volume makes it most expensive.
| Feature | Contingency firm | In-house with Sydra | Sydra files for you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Typically 20% or more of every recovery, indefinitely | Flat, predictable fee — less than half of a typical contingency rate | Flat, predictable fee — less than half of a typical contingency rate |
| What you keep | What's left after the firm's cut | The vast majority of every recovery | The vast majority of every recovery |
| Your time per claim | Minimal | About five minutes | Minimal |
| Who owns the submission | The firm | Your billing team | Sydra, with your approval |
| Scales with volume | Cost grows with every dollar recovered | Cost stays flat as volume grows | Cost stays flat as volume grows |
| Handles related litigation | Yes | No | No |
When is a contingency firm the right answer?
A firm is genuinely the better choice in three situations. If the dispute has escalated beyond IDR into litigation, you need counsel and software will not help. If you are fighting a broader contract or network fight with a payer, IDR is one front in a larger matter and it should be run by lawyers. And if you have no billing staff at all and want zero involvement, a firm that takes a percentage carries all of the risk — that is what the percentage buys.
Where the percentage stops making sense is volume. A contingency rate that is reasonable on four claims a year is expensive on four hundred, because the cost grows with every dollar you recover while the work per claim does not.
Common questions
When is a contingency firm the right answer?
A firm is genuinely the better choice in three situations: if the dispute has escalated beyond IDR into litigation, you need counsel; if you are fighting a broader contract or network fight, IDR is one front in a larger matter that should be run by lawyers; and if you have no billing staff at all and want zero involvement, a firm that takes a percentage carries all of the risk — that is what the percentage buys.
What is the difference between in-house with Sydra and Sydra files for you?
In-house with Sydra, your billing team spends about five minutes per claim and owns the submission. When Sydra files for you, Sydra owns the submission with your approval and your time per claim is minimal. Both are priced on a flat per-claim or subscription basis, never a percentage of recovery.
Does Sydra ever take a percentage of my recovery?
No. Sydra is a flat, predictable fee — less than half of what most contingency firms charge — so what you recover stays with you instead of shrinking with every dollar.
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Medically & clinically reviewed by Dr. John M. Abrahams, MD
Board-certified neurosurgeon and founder of Sydra · Last reviewed September 2026 · About the author
Sources
Figures reflect the published federal record across all disputes, not a prediction about any individual claim. This is general information, not legal or financial advice.