Is Dr. Michael Tarver losing it again?

Has Dr. Michael Tarver lost it again? An email this week from a family member of a 4 year old little girl seems to indicate Dr. Tarver’s abusive behavior continues.

“She is very well behaved, obedient and we always receive compliments in public on this. He yelled at her stating things like "If you won't open your mouth I'll do it for you!" My sister (her mom) was forced out of the room and my niece later revealed she was strapped down. Every time she gets still enough to let her mind wander she recants it and cries saying "Mommy I can't believe they hurt me".

Whom do I hold responsible? The regulators! They had him by the private parts and gave his access to innocent children and Medicaid dollars to support his lifestyle.

The regulators and investigators:

• Daniel Gesek, DMD – Executive Director of Florida Dental Board
• Bill Gladson – Assistant State Attorney, Florida

It was just less than a year ago, on September 4, 2013 when the Florida Department of Health issued an Emergency Suspension of Licenses against Dr. Michael Addair Tarver. Several reports from parent about Dr. Tarver and his wife detailed the outrageous behavior including altering patient records and abusive treatment of young patients. Police have been called to his office on several occasions.

Excerpts from various reports at the time:

“I remember the patient because she was so badly misbehaved. She ran down the hallway kicking and screaming at the dental staff.  I didn’t put my hands over her mouth. The child had to be sedated due to her extremely poor behavior.”  Tarver was not charged, according to OPD, he had not committed any criminal offences.

“June 26, 2013 OPD received a complaint about a child that received a 1-1/2″ laceration in the middle of his forehead.  Tarver “claims” the child tripped over his own feet causing him to fall and hit his head. Tarver did not call EMS. When questioned by OPD Tarver said, “I am Emergency Medicine Certified, therefore I did not feel the need to contact EMS.” OPD notified DCF upon this investigation due to OPD being called out multiple times starting in June of 2012. The injury did require stitches.”

“In one incident a parent said that Tarver placed his hand over the nose and mouth of her child until the child lost consciousness.”

Florida State Attorney, Bill Gladson said his office was asked to investigate and said in an interview:

"Based on the evidence available, it was decided that no single allegation, if proven as alleged, would constitute the crime of child abuse such that any conviction could be sustained on appeal. This office did not review, and was not asked to review, any matter being investigated by the Department of Health or the Board of Dentistry,”

Golly Gee..this is just shocking! NOT!

Anyone what to take a guess who the employs these unnamed dentists?  Kool Smiles and ReachOut have operations in Louisiana….just saying…

 

Feds look at Louisiana dentists for kids on Medicaid

By JANET McCONNAUGHEY

Associated Press August 20, 2014

NEW ORLEANS — About 5 percent of the Louisiana dentists treating children under Medicaid may be padding their numbers, overcharging, providing unnecessary treatments or even harming children, according to a federal study released Wednesday.

Auditors for the Department of Health and Human Services checked 512 dentists and 41 oral surgeons. Twenty-six dentists and one oral surgeon — paid a total of $12.4 million for pediatric dental work in 2012 — billed for extremely high numbers of children or amounts of money or showed other possible excesses, according to the report from department inspector general's office.

Some of the bills may be legitimate but they warrant scrutiny, said a copy of the report provided to The Associated Press before its general release.

"Some of these cases are pretty alarming," said Calder Lynch, chief of staff for Louisiana's Department of Health and Hospitals. He cited doctors with high numbers of fillings and "baby root canals," or pulpotomies. According to the report, one dentist billed for 31 procedures, including 13 pulpotomies, four fillings and 10 stainless steel crowns on one 3-year-old — all during the same visit.

Lynch said he believes many of the dentists described in the audit are among more than 20 his department is already investigating. It recently hired a second dental technician to go over records and will check all 27 people as soon as the federal department sends their names, he said.

That list was "still going through internal processes" Tuesday "but will most certainly be provided," Janna Raudenbush, spokeswoman for the Office of Inspector General, said in an email.

State Medicaid Director Ruth Kennedy wrote in a July 24 response included with the report that, as a result of the study, DHH hired Managed Care of North America on July 1. The company will manage dental benefits under Medicaid and the state's Bayou Health program — an insurance-based model that covers 900,000 of Louisiana's 1.4 million Medicaid recipients, mostly pregnant women and children.

The report said the 512 dentists averaged $264 per child, but six billed for more than $663 per child.

"These dentists received more than $2,000 per child for a total of 237 children," and one was paid $8,000 for work done on one child over three visits, the report said.

"Extremely high payments raise concerns about whether these dentists are billing for unnecessary services or services that they did not provide," the auditors wrote.

Overall, the dentists averaged 27 procedures such as cleaning, extraction or X-rays per day, but three billed Medicaid for 146 or more per day. One billed for 376 services in one day, the report said.

"If this dentist spent only 5 minutes performing each service, it would have taken over 31 hours to complete all these services," the auditors noted.

The auditors also checked on specific procedures, such as extractions, fillings, stainless steel crowns and pulpotomies. On the average, the dentists pulled out teeth from 11 percent of the children they saw, but six dentists extracted teeth from at least 40 percent of the children and one did so on 70 percent of the children he treated. Dentists who filled teeth did so for one-third of the children, but one did so for 92 percent.

The audit looked at Louisiana dentists and oral surgeons who billed Medicaid for at least 50 children in 2012.

One-third of the dentists worked for two dental chains, it said. The report did not identify the chains.

The DHHS report is the second in a series of state reports; the first found similar patterns in 23 of 719 dentists in New York State. That's about 3.1 percent.

The state reports are not being done in any particular order, Raudenbush wrote.

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Online:

http://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-02-14-00120.pdf

http://new.dhh.louisiana.gov/

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2014/08/20/3629464_feds-look-at-la-dentists-for-kids.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy

Two audit reports in 2 years… Hmmm…. So they should get this done in say… the 48 years!!! Unacceptable! 

Here is wherein a major flaw in reports fall… NO NAMES! That’s why the public doesn’t know the dangers of what lurks behind the doors and criminal keep setting up another shop! Aren’t investigators tired of chasing the same damn criminals!

Dr. Michael Davis’ Series on Dental Scams- Parts I and II

 

Scams played on dentists: Part 1

By Michael W. Davis, DDS, DrBicuspid.com contributing writer

July 30, 2014 -- In a new three-part series, Michael W. Davis, DDS, details some of the ways dentists and dental offices are vulnerable to scams. This first part will introduce the series and discuss embezzlement and scams that are played on vulnerable employee dentists.

Dentists are played as marks for scams for several reasons. First, we are targeted because our earning potential is much higher than the general population. Traditionally, dentists have often operated in an isolationist bubble and often confer with colleagues on nonclinical matters only in unusual situations. The demanding focuses of the technical aspects of our profession often preclude us from closer examination of what may be obvious to others. We have blind spots. We are vulnerable.

Recently, courageous leaders in the dental profession such as Drs. Gordon and Rella Christensen have openly discussed embezzlement actions against them. These disclosures help dissolve any shame or guilt that other doctors/victims may carry. No one enjoys admitting they were scammed. However, open disclosures by victims help erode the smokescreen, which perpetrators depend on to pull off their scams.

Embezzlement

Embezzlement and employee theft against an owner/doctor can take many forms. The ADA estimates about a third of all dental offices will be or have been victims of embezzlement. Experts in systems management to prevent and investigate dental office embezzlement and fraud say estimates are greater than 50%. Regardless of the exact number, these risks are very real and potentially devastating to a dental practice.

The exact method of the scam can take on enough discussion to fill several volumes of books. In a common method, the office manager, who is generally valued and trusted beyond reason, pockets office receipts. These may be cash payments from patients that the office manager writes off.

Read the Rest of Part 1 on Dr. Bicuspid

 

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Scams played on dentists: Part 2 -- Consultants and practice brokers

By Michael W. Davis, DDS, DrBicuspid.com contributing writer

August 6, 2014 -- In the second of a three-part series, Michael W. Davis, DDS, details some of the ways dentists and dental offices are vulnerable to scams. This part discusses unethical practice management consultants and practice brokers.

Who doesn't receive via email, fax, telephone, or mail a solicitation from a dental practice consultant on a weekly basis? As a young doctor, I saw many that would promise the "Million Dollar Practice." Today, those figures have grown to the $8 million, $10 million, or $12 million practice. The promises are ridiculously laughable. As the man once said, "If it seems too good to be true, it is."

A number of big-name consultants spend a great deal of time with legal actions brought forth from dissatisfied doctor clients. Using a boilerplate formula from a household name consultant has brought many a dental practice to bankruptcy or near bankruptcy. They may also have multiple endorsements from organized dentistry, which today is little more than paid advertising.

Simply because a consultant has exposure, with prolific publication of consulting articles, does not ensure his or her competency to manage the unique specifics of your dental office.

Here are some suggestions.

1. Do a background check on former doctor clients who the consultant has served. Do they have philosophies and goals similar to yours? What were the specific objectives? Were goals met?

Read the Rest of Part II on Dr. Bicuspid

Another Squabble with CSHM, Small Smiles Dental Centers and Owner Dentists—Small Smiles Reno—Who is extorting who?

I seldom tire of the spin found in legal pleading between owner dentists the illegal dental management companies such as CSHM but honestly it’s getting old.

Now that Dr. Jodi Kuhn purchased her clinics again and seems to have continued with business as usual in Colorado. Another turd has been thrown in the CSHM punchbowl by “owner dentist” Dr. James Mann in Reno, Nevada.  Dr. Mann was hired in October 2, 2006 and I’m positive he can be located as an employee of one of CSHM entities if someone looked.

 Dr. Mann filed suit against CSHM in May 2014.  The case was filed in Second Judicial District Court of the State of Nevada-Washoe County.  In like fashion, CSHM has filed a Complaint against Dr. Mann and Small Smiles Reno and asked for a Temporary Restraining Order. This was filed filed in Davidson County Tennessee Court on July 22, 2014.

In Dr. Mann’s lawsuit he claims he owns the Small Smiles clinic and is suddenly—after just shy of 8 years of employment—”concerned that CSHM’s heavy-handed control of Small Smiles is violating Nevada’s laws and regulations.”

I find It laughable that Dr. Mann is just now  “concerned”.  The public and government agencies have been concerned since 2004! How does Dr. Mann explain this?

Mann claims despite all the name changes—FORBA, Church Street Health Management, CSHM, etc.— many of the same key employees have remained as has their illegal business practices.  (Well, of course, thorn is a thorn by any other name.)

Mann says, “CHSM has continued Church Street’s practices” and “Indeed, many of the personnel associated with Church Street continued to work for CSHM”

He claims:

• Dictated the hours that Dr. Mann and Small Smiles should be open for business.
• Imposed pressure on Dr. Mann and Small Smiles to schedule more patients.
• Decided which equipment Dr. Mann could purchase for Small Smiles
• Insisted on certain dental procedures over others
• Set. Dr. Mann’s compensation.

Here is a statement that raises HUGE red flags and give me great concern: