Dental RCM 
Bootcamp

Ato Kasymov is passionate about technology solving hard problems in complex and highly regulated industries, and found the problem of U.S. dental insurance billing to be a perfect candidate for disruption. He currently sets the direction and strategy at Zentist. Prior to founding Zentist, Ato spent more than 10 years in corporate financings and investments at various large-scale financial institutions. He served as the CIO of National Investment Corporation, a $100B sovereign wealth fund in Central Asia. Prior to that, he served as the Head of Corporate Finance at Samruk-Kazyna, an $80B sovereign wealth fund focused on Central Asia regional investments. Mr. Kasymov holds a dual MBA from the London Business School and Columbia Business School.

With over 20 years of experience in the Dental RCM Transaction space, Tom passionately works to deliver solutions that benefit the whole industry. Prior to his current role as Senior Director of Product at Vyne Dental, Tom has led product development at Availity for Eligibility and Benefits and Patient Cost Transparency projects and headed most departments and product development at DentalXChange in a variety of VP positions. Currently focused on bringing enhanced transactions within the larger RCM workflow, Tom is leading the charge in bringing AI into the normal day to day operations of both providers and payers and provide mechanisms to enhance eligibility and benefit data. Tom has been and continues to be a leader in multiple industry organizations including X12, NDEDIC, NADP, CAQH, WEDI, and Cooperative Exchange. Tom holds a MA in Economics and an MBA in Information Systems from the University of California, Riverside, and a BA in Economics from the University of California, Davis.

Eric Giesecke is the CEO of Planet DDS, the leader in cloud-based software for independent dental offices and dental groups in the U.S. Prior to joining Planet DDS, he co-founded District Line Partners, a private investment fund created to acquire and operate a single attractive business in a growing industry. He also ran One Source Water, a bottleless water cooler firm, where he nearly doubled the size of the company in less than three years. Eric has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a bachelor’s of science in mechanical engineering from the University of Virginia.

Paul Kaiser is the CEO of DentalXChange and has over 20 years of healthcare IT experience including MedeAnalytics, Cognizant, TriZetto, TDS Clinical and Cerner. Paul is known for motivating and positioning teams to consistently exceed financial and operational goals and for creating positive cultures of accountability. He is passionate about relationships, innovation, partnerships and the opportunity to bring new ideas to the dental industry. Paul holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Central Missouri where he is also a board member for the University of Central Missouri Alumni Foundation. Paul is an avid golfer and resides in Southlake, Texas where he enjoys spending quality time with his family.

Will Snipes is a Senior Client Executive on the Dental team at Change Healthcare. He has been with the company 5.5 years and is responsible for working closely with customers in solving their EDI needs. He is passionate about customer success, problem solving, and dedicated to improving all aspects of operational and revenue cycle performance. In his spare time, Will enjoys playing golf and watching college football, especially the Georgia Bulldogs.

Dr. Kyle Stanely, DDS, is an award-winning dentist and the chief clinical officer at Pearl, an AI company specializing in radiologic and clinical analytics solutions for the dental industry. A graduate and former faculty member of USC’s Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, Dr. Stanley’s esthetics, dental implant, and smile design research has been published in the top international dental journals. He has been honored with the AAED’s Charles L. Pincus Award for outstanding achievement in esthetic dentistry, as well as named to the AACD’s "The Next Generation of Cosmetic Dentistry" and Seattle Study Club’s "Top 10 Young Educators in Dentistry" lists. As a key opinion leader and public speaker, Dr. Stanley is a globally respected authority on artificial intelligence in dentistry and the dental industry’s leading advocate for mental health awareness. His private practice is located in Beverly Hills, CA.

Danielle Cuthbertson is a seasoned healthcare executive with nearly two decades of experience specializing in revenue cycle operations. Currently serving as VP of Revenue Cycle Management at Gen4 Dental Partners, she spearheads the company's revenue strategies and operations, overseeing billing, coding, and collections. Prior to this, Danielle held key leadership positions at DECA Dental Group, where she drove substantial growth and profitability through innovative revenue strategies. With a background at CareStack™ and Pacific Dental Services, she has a proven track record of optimizing financial performance for healthcare organizations while ensuring top-notch patient care.

Ryan Heroy is the Chief Operating Officer for an 18-location Dental Service Organization (DSO) called BDG Dental Services headquartered in Las Vegas, NV. His experience in Marketing/Communications, Human Resources, Operations, Privacy/Security and Team/Project Management helps with overseeing the dental office operations along with various support departments and subsidiaries under the BDG brand. Ryan has a Bachelor of Communications degree from Pepperdine University and a Master of Business Administration and Management degree from Quantic School of Business and Technology in addition to eight plus years of senior management experience.

Dr. Ryan Hungate is our Chief Clinical Officer for Henry Schein One. He is working on HS1’s next generation of revenue cycle management automation and One Platform strategy. Dr. Ryan Hungate is the founder of Simplifeye, Inc. and an orthodontist. He implemented Simplifeye in over 7000 locations and grew his team to over 300. Prior to going into dentistry, Dr. Hungate worked for Apple, Inc. designing the Apple retail workflow. Dr. Hungate recently had a very successful exit for Simplifeye and currently lives in Indianapolis, IN with his amazing wife Lauren.

Dave is a Co-Founder and CEO of OrthoFi and is responsible for driving the company's strategic direction. Over the last nine years, he has taken OrthoFi from an idea on a napkin to a start-up and now to a scale-up. He is passionate about problem-solving and building a high-performing culture. Dave has a unique blend of start-up experience with a broad range of technology & management consulting for numerous Fortune 100 companies in multiple industries. Before OrthoFi, he worked at Accenture, Slalom Consulting, and a few early-stage companies. He graduated as a mechanical engineer from the University of Michigan.

Vijay Sikka is the Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sikka Software Corporation. Under his leadership, Sikka Software has grown from a start-up to have over 35,000 practice installations and 120m patients on its platform for healthcare on the demand side and over 50 companies which have built applications on the supply side. Prior to Sikka Software, Vijay has worked in Artificial Intelligence and decision systems for more than 25 years. He has experience with large scale projects at Intel Corporation, National Institutes of Health, Glaxo Smith Kline, Roche and UCSF affiliates. In 1996, Vijay founded IBrain Software, Inc. that used to compete with Informatica, Hyperion and Cognos and served as its CEO until its acquisition in 1998 by Entigen Corporation, a healthcare information company that later became part of Roche. After that Vijay co-founded Bodha.com that was acquired by Peregrine Systems/Remedy that later became part of BMC Software. Vijay holds an M.S. degree in EE and AI from Syracuse University, New York, pursued doctoral studies in neurosciences at Stanford University (incomplete Ph.D). He is a frequent speaker at big data, AI, healthcare, technology and quality meetings. Vijay’s book on Maximizing ROI on Software Development was published by Taylor and Francis International and earns him a proud royalty check every few months. Vijay was invited keynote speaker at the Digital Health World Conferences in 2019 and 2020, AI Global Forum 2020 and Biohacking Congress in London in 2020 and Healthtech Forward in 2021. He has published and presented in many artificial intelligence and neural network meetings and conferences including International Joint Conference on Neural Networks, SPIE, IEEE, AAAI and CHMT and the precursor of NeurIPS.

Jeremy is a general dentist with a combined business background. He is the Managing Partner of Revere Partners, the first independent Venture Capital fund focused on oral health, and RISE Health, the only inclusion-driven Venture Capital fund focused on oral health. Jeremy previously built out the Barchester Bay Group, a portfolio consisting of over 40 ventures. Jeremy has held key operator roles at startups including Head of Marketing and Chief Dental Officer at Simplifeye, based in NYC, and the Chief Marketing Officer of Verena Solutions, based in Chicago. He oversaw provider and clinical growth initiatives at quip, the oral health and subscription electric toothbrush company and strategic provider innovation and development at Oscar Health (which had an IPO in 2021). Jeremy has practiced general dentistry part-time for nearly a decade following his DMD at Tufts, sits on the Boards of healthcare and dental startups, and is an angel investor and/or advisor in approximately 70 companies. Jeremy has a 18+ year proven track record with startups through several successful multi-million dollar fundraises and acquisitions. Jeremy started his career with three web and graphic design startups and moved into a luxury goods and commodity venture, DormAid, for college students. He later founded a venture incubator, CEO in A Box, following his MBA at Chicago Booth. Jeremy received The CEO of the Year Award and The Next 100 Global - Venture Capital Award from Global Banking & Finance, the VC Innovator of the Year (Healthcare) Award from Pan Finance, The President’s Volunteer Service Lifetime Achievement Award from President Joe Biden, Crain’s Notable in Health Care, Top 100 Healthcare Visionaries award from IFAH USA, Top 100 Doctors from the Global Summits Institute for his commitment to oral health innovation, and 40 under 40 awards from Incisal Edge and YJP.

Tarek practiced Dentistry and Periodontal surgery while simultaneously working in Management and Marketing. He graduated as a dentist from Alexandria University in Egypt. He has a graduate certificate in Periodontics & Oral Medicine from the same University and a Diploma in Sales & Marketing from the American University in Cairo. He has an MBA from Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas. Tarek has a CVA certification from the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts. His expertise includes Dental Support Organizations platform development and management, M&As, Business Valuation, and Dental Organizations Management. He has written three publications and is currently working on a book addressing the management of dental practices and DSOs. He is currently the Co-founder of Modern Smiles (10 dental practice locations), a partner at Community Dental Partners (82 dental practice locations), the Co-founder of OrthoDent Management LLC (12 dental practice locations), and President/Founder of Precision Advisory LLC. Tarek is also a public speaker and competes in Toastmasters International.

Dr Hendrik Lai is the Co-Founder of the Madison, Wisconsin based management consulting firm, Sage Dental Consulting. Over many years of real-world, hands-on experience as a dental surgeon, multiple practice owner, private equity advisor, and global business leader, he has honed his process and approach to achieving sustainable growth for his clients. His proven success and experience across private practice, group dentistry, government, academia and publicly traded companies has made him highly sought after by clients ranging from startup offices to multinational consulting firms. In addition to his dental degree, Hendrik holds MBA, EMBA, MS, business analytics and organizational leadership qualifications. He is a Chartered Management Consultant, Certified Manager and a Fellow of the Institute of Managers and Leaders, the International Institute of Directors and Managers, and the Institute of Leadership and Management. He is a full Member of the Institute of Management Consultants, Academy of Dental Management Consultants and the Strategic Management Society. As a recognized industry thought leader, Hendrik has been featured by dozens of major media outlets including Fox, CW, ABC, NBC and CBS, as well as dental industry media.

Michelle Kosier is the Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management & Payor Operations for Lightwave Dental where she is responsible for developing and executing the strategic vision for Revenue Cycle, with a focus on maximizing revenue through Payor optimization. She creates a culture of success by implementing Key Performance Indicators (KPI) to achieve Best Practice results. Michelle has dedicated her career to start-up companies by building the infrastructure to create profitable MSOs and DSOs. Her background includes high-growth, multi-state, private equity-backed organizations in both medical and dental industries. Prior to joining Lightwave in 2021, Michelle worked with many high-profile institutions, such as Tampa General Hospital, AdventHealth (formally Florida Hospital), St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital (NYC), Lenox Hill Hospital (NYC), and Cigna Healthcare (Glendale, CA). Michelle holds an MBA in Human Resources and Labor Relations. Outside of her work with Lightwave, Michelle is a Regional Board Member at The Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, and a Lifetime Member and volunteer at the St. Petersburg Museum of the Fine Arts. She believes in giving back to her community and is actively involved with local non-profit organizations, including the Special Operations Warrior Foundation and the Navy SEAL Foundation. However, Michelle’s true joy is spending time with her daughter, Greta!

Harold has over 30 years of experience within the dental insurance industry. Considered an industry insider, he has worked in sales and account management for Ameritas, Dental Benefit Providers, PacifiCare Health Systems, and United Concordia, as well as his own Employee Benefits Consulting firm. His wealth of industry knowledge, experience, and relationships is a tremendous asset to Apex Reimbursement Specialist's client.

Greg Mahoney is a management consultant at Skytale Group. He joins the Skytale team with broad experience in building infrastructure and strategic planning in the dental industry. Utilizing experience from individual locations, emerging groups, and a DSO with more than 100 locations, Greg expertly builds strategies and helps executive teams reach their goals. Greg maximizes individual location production. He previously helped a practice grow production from $1 million to $7.5 million annually. As a former COO and management support strategist, he has been successful in crafting the management structure and systems to grow large organizations. He joins the Skytale team with expertise in change management, finance, marketing, and IT systems. By nurturing revenue-generating activities and their related systems, Greg assists clients in reaching their business and personal goals. His ability to step back and assess problems from multiple perspectives gives business owners the peace of mind that advice is well-conceived, with a genesis in real-world experience. Greg likes hiking, fishing, and other outdoor activities. You can find him on the weekends on the lake or in the backyard with his three kids. Greg received his B.A. at Wabash College and MBA from Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame.

With over 15+ years of experience, Mike serves as a principal within the health firm’s health care industry. Truly passionate about his work, he strives to provide strategic business intelligence by identifying complex, financial, operational, and technical issues while developing comprehensive solutions to enhance the client’s business operations. Mike is one of the national leaders for CLA focused on building teams and financial structure, specifically Dental, MedSpa and Aesthetics groups. Mike is a highly sought-after speaker sharing his broad knowledge of the health care industry while understanding the complexity of health care practices of various sizes.

Jeff Staser, CFO for Straine Dental Management, graduated from Eastern Illinois University in 1982 with a degree in Accounting and has several years of experience in banking and finance, where he held Series 7 and Insurance Licenses. Mr. Staser served as CFO and Director of M&A for Heartland Dental for approximately 15 years and has consulted with several clients on the formation and operations of their DSOs. Mr. Staser began consulting with Straine Dental Management in 2017 and has been instrumental in preparing it to become one of the largest and most unique DSOs in the marketplace today.

Cissy Mangrum, MBA, CMPE, CPC, CDC, CDBS, is a VP of Revenue Cycle Management at Specialty Dental Brands with 20+ years of experience helping medical and dental practices achieve operational revenue success. Her background started in medical practices as an operator leading and growing physician multi-specialty practices to success through operational success and revenue integrity improvement; she then moved into the operational revenue cycle because of her passion that providers should be paid for their services. She has a history of a successful track record of positively turning practices around and setting up practices for revenue achievements. She works closely with payers and peers to ensure that she stays on the cutting edge of automation and processes. She focuses on team member and leadership growth, education, training, and providing the best tools for her teams to ensure the practices have the optimal revenue experience.

As the Founder & CEO of Fidler and Associates, Jon has a history of building teams by connecting talent with opportunity. Jon began honing his talent recognition skills working for the Arizona diamondbacks (MLB) in the scouting and player development departments. In his role Jon was responsible for not only recognizing the physical talent of potential prospects, but also developing that talent into a Championship Caliber team. For the last 13 years, Jon has focused his skills specifically within the dental industry. During this time, Jon has placed successful executives throughout the country for dso’s, multi-location groups, manufacturers, distributors, and other dental-related organizations. throughout his career Jon has been responsible for hiring, training and developing numerous performance award-winning employees and executives. Jon is a graduate of the University of Iowa and currently resides in Austin, tx.

Victoria is an accomplished leader in the dental industry with over fourteen years of experience. Her career has been dedicated to optimizing financial operations for DSOs and dental groups. She possesses a deep understanding of Operations and the entire Revenue Cycle, encompassing credentialing, payor relations, patient financial services, and strategies to achieve overall operational success. Victoria's expertise is evidenced by her progressive leadership roles within prominent DSOs. Throughout her career, she has consistently demonstrated a remarkable ability to drive revenue growth while simultaneously improving operational efficiency and reducing costs. Currently, Victoria leverages her extensive knowledge and experience to support multiple DSOs as a Fractional VP of Revenue Cycle Management and Payor Relations Consultant. In this role, she provides strategic guidance and operational leadership to ensure the financial health and success of her clients.

Trina McNeal is the Director of Revenue Cycle at Aligned Dental where she advises dental groups and DSOs throughout North America. In this role, Trina helps dentist entrepreneurs increase revenue and drive EBITDA utilizing her skillset as an authority on RCM, payor relations, and dental practice operations. Trina brings over 15 years of experience in dental business operations and specializes in revenue cycle management. She has a Specialization Certification in Leadership Management from Harvard Online Business School and has completed courses in leadership principles, management essentials, and strategy execution. Trina has experience as a Director of Revenue with Dental Service Organizations, overseeing 70+ locations and managing processes for an annual revenue of over $120 million. She leads teams and vendor partnerships in various aspects of revenue management, including insurance verification, billing, collections, engagement with insurance payers, cash posting, handling denials, credentialing, negotiating fees, and conducting thorough analyses of payer contracts. She also has experience as a Regional Manager with a 3rd party RCM company, where she led a $144M revenue cycle across 89 dental practices and 175+ independent billing contractors. During her tenure, she achieved significant revenue growth and expanded the client base. Trina has a track record of successfully salvaging key client relationships and spearheading successful mergers, including overseeing 1,400+ dental practices with 2,000+ contractors, 375 + employees, and $25M+ in revenue. She has been recognized for executing a major company merger previously deemed irrecoverable.

Teresa is a highly-skilled operations expert, innovator, and 26-year veteran in the DSO industry. Teresa’s experience includes leading operations at Dental Depot where she grew the company to over 500 employees with locations in Oklahoma, Texas and Arizona. Teresa is a founding advisory board member of Women in DSO and has been recognized for her commitment to the professional development of her colleagues and for being an influencer in the DSO community. Prior to UDC, Teresa Williams was Chief Operations Officer for Dental Express, which is headquartered in San Diego, CA. Teresa has a Bachelors in Administrative Leadership and Masters in Healthcare Law from the University of Oklahoma.

Ato Kasymov is passionate about technology solving hard problems in complex and highly regulated industries, and found the problem of U.S. dental insurance billing to be a perfect candidate for disruption. He currently sets the direction and strategy at Zentist. Prior to founding Zentist, Ato spent more than 10 years in corporate financings and investments at various large-scale financial institutions. He served as the CIO of National Investment Corporation, a $100B sovereign wealth fund in Central Asia. Prior to that, he served as the Head of Corporate Finance at Samruk-Kazyna, an $80B sovereign wealth fund focused on Central Asia regional investments. Mr. Kasymov holds a dual MBA from the London Business School and Columbia Business School.