Evidence shows Benevis, LLC / Kool Smiles Dental Centers Knows the Laws.

Screen shot from Benevis website January 20, 2018:

They simply believe the laws don’t apply to them.
Ad from the Kentucky Dental Association Website.

Benevis, (formerly NCDR, LLC) is owned by FFL Partners and operates Medicaid dental clinics under the name Kool Smiles Dental, focused on children (perferably under the age of 5 from the looks of things).  However they operate a disturbing non-Medicaid division under the corporate umbrella of PSBB, PC, Inc. with Dale Mayfield CFO, Secretary and CFO.  Mayfield is the Chief Dental Officer at Kool Smiles.  In 2016, Mayfield was appointed to the Georgia Board of Dentistry by Governor Nathan Deal. (try not to puke if you read this link)

$23,900,000.00 Benevis / Kool Smiles Dental Clinic Settlement Agreement with DOJ

This is for the period of January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2011.

That is 3 years.

They have been in business with this exact same business model since 2002, when FFL Partners found Dr. Tran and Dr. Pham at the Denver Small Smiles Dental Clinic and offered them an opportunity of a lifetime; to start their very own Medical Mill and become “owner dentists”.

It’s now January 2018. 

So, 15 years, right? This settlement covers 3 of 15 years.

The way I see it, they should pony up an additional $286,800,000.00.

I don’t see any Corporate Integrity Agreement; let’s hope that is a seperate Agreement yet to be released.

$23,900,000.00 Benevis Kool Smiles Dental Settlement Agreement with DOJ - January 2018

Related:

September 2009 Office Score Card

FY 2011 Texas Kool Smiles Stainless Steel Crowns Billed

Mother speaks out against Yuma, AZ Kool Smiles Dental Clinic

A mother is speaking out following the death of two children who visited a dental office in Yuma.

Nearly six years later, Elva Aranda is sharing her experience at Kool Smiles, who claims her daughter was being choked by a dental assistant in Summer 2012.

"It was a horrible experience, a horrible experience because when you see someone else hurting your child, you feel helpless," said Aranda.

Aranda says while her daughter was getting her regular checkup, the dental assistant was acting aggressively towards her daughter during the procedure. She claims the dental assistant was adding pressure to her daughter's neck as if she was choking her without realizing it.

"You know the suction tool, she started putting that into my daughter's mouth, and that was making her "gag". I'm here looking at my daughter, and I'm seeing her gag because that tool was shoved in her mouth and I started comforting here saying "it's okay, you're going to be okay" but I did not see that this lady had her whole hand shoved into my daughter's neck choking her."

Read the entire report here.

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In 2016, 4 year old Liseth Lares died just days after visiting the same Yuma, AZ Kool Smiles clinic as 2 year old Zion Gastelum

YUMA, Arizona --

Two children, one dentist's office, each meeting the same tragic fate.
An Arizona mother is suing Kool Smiles in Yuma after her 4-year-old daughter died days after she visited the dentist's office in January 2016.

Francisca Lares said she is heartbroken, because she was only trying to do the right thing in getting care for her daughter, KNXV reports.

But when little Liseth Lares developed a fever, family attorney Marco Mercaldo said the dentist sent the girl home after a "relatively cursory exam."

"Told the mom essentially there is nothing to worry about, she'll be fine," Mercaldo said. "Unfortunately, the infection spread and she died of the infection."

Mercaldo argues Liseth could have survived the infection if Kool Smiles had given her the proper treatment.

Read full report here.

2-year-old Zion Gastelum dies after dental appointment at Kool Smiles

YUMA, AZ - An Arizona family is left confused, devastated and looking for answers about just what happened during a young boy's dental appointment.

The family of Zion Jay Gastelum said the 2-year-old died after a dentist appointment in Yuma last month. Zion's uncle told ABC15 the child's parents took him to Kool Smiles Dentist on December 16 for a crown and filling, and somehow either during or after the process, it appears Zion stopped breathing. 

According to family, Zion was transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center and then flown to Maricopa County, where he died several days later.

Read more here