The same Harlingen Family Dentistry that killed ten year old Marcos Tirado in September won a skirmish with the Office Of Inspector General’s (OIG) office yesterday. But that is far from winning this war.Harlingen Family Dentistry is one of the top 25 Medicaid billers in Texas and under investigation by the OIG. The Texas Tribune has Harlingen Family Dentistry rated at number 17 in claims for fiscal year end 2011.
Dr. Juan Villarreal, owner of Harlingen Family Dentistry is a former member of the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners, appointed by Governor Perry in 2001.
As standard practice, while under investigation,Office of Inspector General (OIG), began to withhold 40% of all reimbursement payments.
Not very happy about that, Villarreal appealed OIG’s decision. Despite OIG having evidence that 84 of 85 records reviewed failed to meet requirements necessary.
Harlingen hired their own witness who said he would have approved all but 8 of those 85.
WOW, that’s a HUGE difference!! Too huge to not look a bit suspicious on Villarreal’s part. After all he’s the one wanting “you” money and looks like he’s willing to kill children to get it.
Yesterday, Administrative Law Judge Susan Fekety, agreed to reduce the payment hold from 40% to 4%.
Always the victim, Villarreal said, "I am afraid to say that it appears that honest dentists are being ‘gamed’ rather than the other way around so the state can try to collect back funds its contractor had pre-approved years ago and that they want to claw back regardless of consequences to providers and patients. It just shows how broken Medicaid really has become.”
Would Marco still be alive if Villarreal were not such a greedy man? One thing is clear; what Dr. Juan Villarreal will fight for and what he will not.
Father claims no one tried to save his son
