Where does Hoecker get his dough?

Here we have a map of the business of Chad B. Hoecker, DDS of Ocean Dental Centers, another Medicaid dental mill, which has been allowed to infiltrate several states.

He actually has one telecommunication business called “Buck The System”.  LOL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click here for a much larger view of the map.

I’ve not been able to locate it, but I’m sure there is some Private Equity firm behind him.  However he does have a Private Equity Firm cash management company called Focal Point.

New York Ocean Dental Complaint

This was posted in the comment section but thought it deserved some front page space.  Mr. Hoecker, do you have an comments on this! 

I took my daughter to Ocean Dental as it was difficult to find someone close to where I live that would accept medicaid.  They wanted me to watch through a window while they cleaned her teeth and did not let me go back for X-rays or the exam....then I was told after not being explained anything, showed x-rays, etc, that my daughter needed two fillings and a cap, she is 3 and a half, so I made an appt for the first filling, they kept pushing me to sign a waiver for laughing gas but didn't even give me time to read what I was signing, as there were so many people there I just did and that was a mistake, then I wasn't even allowed to stand in the hallway while they filled the cavity, after that someone did talk to me for about two minutes and said that I needed to make sure she brushed I said she does brush and I supervise, then the person said, "well you wouldn't let your three year old wash your dishes so why would you let her brush her own teeth," when that was over I took her out to the car where she proceeded to barf in the backseat and lean her whole body over to the side and said she didn't feel good.  I was so mad that I called there and complained, and decided not to go back, I took her to a far away dentist from my house and to my surprise they went over x-rays and showed me her teeth and proceeded to tell me that she had no cavities, I said well they said she needed another filling and cap and they looked again...same results....I am furious that this is how people are being treated just because they have medicaid..your not entitled a decent dentist unless you drive for at least 45 minutes?  These people need to be investigated in my opinion.....

Ocean Dental Complaints

I've always had my suspicions how children were treated at Ocean Dental.  I even made a trip to the one in Louisville, Kentucky and talked with a couple of parents.  I was scared the children were receiving the same kind of care at Ocean as they do from FORBA/Small Smiles and NCDR/Kool Smiles, Smile Starters and other dental mill clinics.  However, I'm only one person and my focus has been on Small Smiles and Kool Smiles. 

Ocean Dental and Adventure Dental have been on my radar and did make the 'to do' list here at Dentist The Menace.  A couple of weeks ago the two comments below were posted. 

I was a employee of ocean dental. I was a hygienist that had to see 40- 50 patients a day. Ocean Dental commits Medicaid fraud and something needs to be done! RDH

I worked at ocean dental. ocean dental should be investigated. I also heard children cry and a doctor tell the kids to shout up. They give to much nitrous. the children are getting sick, wont allow parents to come back. now they are committing insurance fraud: bad filling!! RCT (Root Canal Therapy) failures, abscesses and fistulas not treated because they are to busy. They have fired over 20 people in three years in the Louisville office because they had been good employees, and didn't like what went on. Someone needs to do something.  I reported it to the dental board but nothing is done!! Health care and being poor should never be at the cost of our children. RDH 

I hope this employee or ex-employee takes this a step further and files a Qui Tam (Whistler Blower) lawsuit.  Surely there is some attorney in Kentucky willing to take this on.  In light of the recent settlement by FORBA and their Small Smiles clinics it's clear the same kind of abuse and fraud is taking place.  Let me appeal to "greed"...Imagine the $$'s to be made here.  As for the employee, 10% of the settlement is usually a pretty good chunk of change...  

To the poster:

I understand your frustration with the dental board.  I've written them several times, the last time ended up more like a book and have not heard a word from them.  I sent a copy of this letter to 8 lawmakers in Kentucky and I've not heard back from them either.  Clearly they could care less.  But know this, I care! 

Ocean Dental's Chad Hoecker Desciplined in Ohio

Ohio Dental Board Disciplinary Action

CHAD B. HOECKER, D.D.S.
Motion by Dr. Kyger, second by Dr. Armstrong, to approve the proposed
consent agreement for Chad B. Hoecker, D.D.S., license number 30-022103, case
number 06-18-0603.

Motion carried.

I don't know what the complaint or disciplinary action was but the case number is listed above. Chad Hoecker is the owner of Ocean Dental Corporation, another medicaid dental mill.

Is Ocean Dental Another Small Smiles?

Well, this particular blogger doesn't know too much about Ocean Dental at this point other than the small bits I've posted. What I do know is they have entered an industry riddled with bad press, bad reviews, serious child abuse accusations, and federal fraud accusations.

So what can they expect really?

If they are on the up and up and have very clear guidelines and have set the highest degrees of standards of care it will still take them decades to shake the stigma brought on by the DeRose Family of Dental Clinics, namely Small Smiles, Smile High, SmileStarters, Carolina Dental Center, DeRose Dental Center, Medicaid Dental Center, Kool Smiles and the various other names in which the DeRose's carry on business.

Dentists throughout the land should be furious about this black eye the DeRose's have bestowed upon them. However, all dentists bare some responsibility in this.

If not for private pay dentists failure to accept mediciad patients, the DeRose's would not have had the door opened quite as wide for them to stroll through now would they?

I say that Ocean Dental has a very long and hard road ahead of them before they can even come close to calling their venture into treating medicaid patients a success.

As of right now there are more mediciad dental treatment clinics cropping up than Starbucks. One one street in any given poor community there could be a Small Smiles on one corner, a Kool Smiles on the next and Ocean Dental on the other. Worse the Rite Aid and CVS. These clinics are popping quicker than mushrooms after a spring rain.