Reflections with Brian Bowling

Years with Dental Depot

Dental Depot’s Director of Business Office Operations Brian Bowling celebrated his 11th year with the company this August and sat down with us to reflect on his professional growth and department achievements. Here’s what he had to say:

DD: So, how did you get started with Dental Depot?

BB: Right out of high school I got a job working with data entry and viewing x-rays. From there I decided to go and be a scrub tech. I kind of missed doing the insurance side of things, so I went and started with a durable medical equipment company until they went under. Finally, I went to a staffing agency and Dental Depot found me and brought me and in and I interviewed. They liked that I had experience reviewing x-rays from the insurance side of it, and that was 11 years ago.

DD: And you came in under what position?

BB: I started off as a patient accounts service representative (PASR).

DD: Tell us about your growth in that position and how you got to where you are now.

BB: Well, I did that for four years and cleaned up the accounts [at the South OKC office] and started having competitions with Midwest City every month, trying to beat them. Then I decided to take it to the next level to see what else I could do. So then I got the position of PASR trainer at the training office – which was at [Northwest OKC] at the time.

DD: And how long have you been in your current position?

BB: About three years. From PASR trainer, I then went on to be the manager of patient account services, then I became the director of patient account services. And now I’m the director of business office operations.

DD: What does a normal day for you look like?

BB: I come in, make sure that the team knows their responsibilities and can kind of focus on certain offices. I study the outstanding claims reports. I study how the insurances are paying – every insurance has their own way of denying certain services or providers – so I study how they’re paying. I look at the denials every day and figure out how we’re going to appeal them. I have patients calling who are upset about bills, so I’ll sit down and explain to them their bill and take on the really difficult audits and stuff. I also negotiate fee schedules with insurance companies.

DD: What has been the most memorable experience for you in your time with Dental Depot?

BB: My best experience has been hiring people and seeing their growth, seeing where they start and knowing their potential and training them to become managers. I like seeing them start not just jobs, but actually having careers. Shauna [McCurdy] started off at 23rd as a PASR and now she's at ELO [as the PASR manager].

DD: What do you think is your favorite thing about the way Dental Depot is set up?

BB: I love how we are for the patient. We don’t nickel and dime, we help them out. We focus more on their insurance. We’re an advocate for them to get their insurance to pay for the services, and then we’ll work with them for over-the-counter collections. It’s affordable dentistry, that’s absolutely why I love Dental Depot.

We want to wish our heartfelt congratulations to Brian on all of his hard work over the last 11 years and we look forward to many more.