Dental One Partners commits malpractice for profit says Dentists and North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners

DentalWorks Chain Misdiagnosed for Money, Dentists Say
March 13, 2013, 10:28 am ET by Sarah Childress

DentalWorks, a national dental-care chain, is facing two lawsuits in North Carolina claiming that it unlawfully practiced dentistry and deceptive practices.

A lawsuit filed by the state dental board alleges that the company lied about its operations. A second lawsuit, filed by dentists who worked for the chain, alleges that it pushed staff to inappropriately diagnose patients in order to bill them for more costly procedures.

DentalWorks is one of several dental-care companies facing scrutiny of its practices recently.

In last June’s Dollars and Dentists, FRONTLINE and the Center for Public Integrity reported that Kool Smiles, which serves children covered by Medicaid, has been accused in several states of providing unnecessary treatment for children in order to bill more money. Kool Smiles has denied the allegations in an extensive response.

Last July, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) said his office was probing Kool Smiles, Small Smiles and ReachOut HealthCare America, which all serve poor children on Medicaid.

And Aspen Dental, one of the nation’s largest corporate dental chains, was accused in a class-action lawsuit in October of deceiving patients and illegally owning dental practices. Aspen Dental, which denies the allegations, filed a motion to dismiss the case. Attorneys representing former patients in January filed an amended complaint (pdf) in January that added 13 more pages of allegations, which Aspen Dental has since filed to dismiss.

The Latest Lawsuits

DentalWorks is the trade name of DentalOne Partners, Inc., a national dental company operating in 14 states. The suit filed by the North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners accuses (pdf) DentalOne Partners of influencing clinical policies, including pushing for inappropriate diagnoses in order to bill for unnecessary treatment.

Bileca sells to Matzkin or Towncare affiliates with Dental Care Alliance, it’s the same either way.

So it was announced last week that Florida State Representative Michael Bileca’s Towncare Dental Partners d/b/a Towncare Dental and Main Street’s Children Dentistry and Orthodontics is now “affiliated” with Dental Care Alliance based in Sarasota, Florida.  Of course that means he unloaded the clinics. Who knows he may stay on as CEO, President or whatever he claims to be.  Wonder if Mr. Bileca has bigger political ambitions and needs to rid himself of the DSO?

So, who is Dental Care Alliance?  Beats the hell outta me!  There’s a timeline after the press release.  You figure it out. 

What I do know is Steven Matzkin and Michael Bileca , their respective CEO’s are founders of that nasty group the Dental Group Practice Association (DGPA). So swapping control of dental clinics they illegally operate among themselves is akin to one of those underground “swingers” clubs.

Dental Care Alliance Press Release

Dental Care Alliance Acquires Towncare Dental Partners

Posted on January 16, 2013 by dca

Sarasota, FL – Dental Care Alliance (DCA) announces the affiliation of Towncare Dental Partners (TDP).

“Towncare is an outstanding, well regarded company, and we are excited to have their team join DCA and expand our administrative resources to better support the needs of our affiliated dental professionals,” says Mitch Olan Co-CEO/COO of Dental Care Alliance. “Both DCA and Towncare place the same emphasis on quality care, provider support and patient satisfaction.”

The Florida-based companies have similar operating philosophies and more than 40 years of combined experience supporting the dental profession. The combined company will now manage the administrative services of 145 dental practices in 8 states.