Despite signing a Corporate Integrity Agreement with the US Government in 2010 Small Smiles Dental Centers continue with their fraud and abuse of children as reported in The Joint Staff Report On The Corporate Practice of Dentistry In The Medicaid Program issued by Committee on Finance United States Senate, Max Bacus,Chairman and Committee On The Judiciary United States Senate, Chuck Grassley, Ranking Member, July 2013.
(Despite the 1,500 pages in the report only pages 1-33 (5-37 of the pdf file) are the findings and recommendations, the rest are exhibits
Oxon Hill Maryland
Oxon Hill, Maryland was one of the dental centers reported on in 2007 which brought Small Smiles Dental Centers to the public’s attention. It’s been 6 years and appears nothing has changed much. Here is just some of what the Joint Senate report says about the Oxon Hill Small Smiles Clinic:
Oxon Hill, Maryland Small Smiles Dental Centers Independent Monitor was escorted by at least one of the above Committee staff. Subsequently, the Independent Monitor’s report included damning evidence of the clinics continued disregard for children’s safety and out right endangering the life of some. This was in June of 2012 — just a year ago —and it reads like it was in the early 2000’s in days of the DeRose family regime.
- The clinic was inappropriately documenting and administering local anesthetic and nitrous oxide. Rather they were calculated and filled in on the patient records AFTER the fact.
- The clinic was substituting the use of the papoose board for anesthesia or nitrous leaving the children experience excruciating pain while being restrained.
- A child vomited half way through a procedure and the dentist turned the child on her side and suctioned her mouth and throat. The child’s airway was in jeopardy because the mouth prop opened her mouth so wide it restricted her ability to swallow and protect her airway. Cotton pellets used during the puloptomy were placed and removed while Stainless Steel Crowns were fitted and removed on a moving, combative and hysterical children with no methods employed to protect the airway.
[Explains all the incidents of children swallowing objects including stainless steel crowns.]
The dentist continued treatment despite the child vomiting.- Large mouth props were used that overextended their mouths, compromising their ability to swallow and protect their airways. Preparedness and anticipation was lacking on the part of the dental assistants during procedures on uncooperative children.
- 30% of the records reviewed showed Medicaid was billed for unjustified and potentially unnecessary treatments.
- Only after Independent Monitor notified HHS/OIG of nearly $1 million dollars in overpayments ($852,942.74) did CSHM refund the overpayment.
Sadly the Corporate Integrity Agreement(CIA) and the Independent Monitoring by OIG have failed miserable to keep children safe from this monstrous company, yet OIG still defends this nasty place, the power of the CIA and the monitoring. Wonder why that is?
In the Joint Senate Report it states the Independent Monitor has reported to OIG that the onsite visits to the Small Smiles clinics have all had a positive outcomes since its new management was put in place in June 2012. However, what the Independent Monitor has tells OIG and what the actual reports reveal “…paints a very different story”.
Check out the bottom of 26 (page 30 of the pdf file) and the next few pages of the Joint Senate Report for a look at the things the Independent Monitor considers positive, which includes administering medications on a child so young it’s not approved by the FDA.
So who is lying to who? ..or is it whom? Either way, someone is full of it, in on it, or both!
With this in mind, imagine what Kool Smiles and the like, who are NOT being monitored by OIG, are doing to children and how much they are defrauding the American taxpayer.
