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.

North Carolina takes action against Dental One Partners: operating dental clinics illegally–unnecessary treatment– false diagnosis periodontal disease

Appears Dental One Partners has been doing a bit of “up selling”  or should it be put “up diagnosis”.  Court Pleadings at the end of article.

 

Published: 10:38 PM, Tue Mar 05, 2013

 

N.C. sues DentalWorks, alleges unnecessary treatments pushed, illegal ownership

By Paul Woolverton

Staff writer

State officials allege in a lawsuit that the DentalWorks dentistry chain pressured dentists and dental workers at its North Carolina locations to give patients expensive, unnecessary treatments.

The claim is part of a lawsuit the state Board of Dental Examiners filed in Wake County Superior Court on Feb. 18. It says DentalWorks illegally owns dental practices in this state - by law, only a dentist licensed in North Carolina may own a dental practice here - and therefore is illegally practicing dentistry.

A related lawsuit was filed Feb. 18 against DentalWorks by 14 dentists with DentalWorks offices, including two dentists from Cumberland County.

The allegations in both lawsuits paint a picture of patients being taken advantage of to boost profits.

They say DentalWorks used financial incentives, protocols, internal recommendations, warnings of malpractice lawsuits and other pressures to push dentists and hygienists to make diagnoses that patients had gum disease when they did not.

The patients were given unnecessary treatments, leading to excessive billing, the Dental Board says in its lawsuit and in other documents.

The dentists' lawsuit also accuses DentalWorks of pushing them to give patients unneeded veneers and ceramic crowns in order to boost revenues.

Why would a Florida state representative, who is a CPA, own a business that contracts with Private Equity financed corporate dental practices to train their dental hygiene departments?

Let’s start here -
Does anyone find it the least bit odd that:
Douglas W. Brown of  Dental Works, Dental One, Dental Care Partners Dental Works and Secretary of the Dental Group Practice Association owns Regional Clinical Consultants, a company designed to train hygienists the art of upselling.

“Hygiene at DentalCare Partners (DCP) has experienced a huge paradigm shift in recent years, from the hygienists being“prophy queens” to “periodontal therapists.”Doug Brown, CEO, hired a consulting group in 2004 that worked with DCP-affiliated dentists to develop the first periodontal protocol.  Brown knew that the investment to provide training and development to all hygienists throughout DCP, as well as comprehensive care to doctors and auxiliary staff, would pay off.  This company wide initiative occurred from 2004 to 2005 and was worth every penny in not only monetary rewards but by fostering patient stability and improving quality of care. n 2005, Brown created the Regional Clinical Consultant position at DCP. 

R. Kirk Huntsman’s- The Beginning: Reachout Healthcare America-Dental One, Nexus Dental Alliance and more

Last September(2011) R. Kirk Huntsman’s was featured at a seminar entitled “Beat The Dental Practice Management Companies”  Warning attendees of the “Walmart Effect” taking over dentistry.

Yet, among many other ventures in Dental Practice Management, R. Kirk Huntsman has been Managing Partner of Montage Venture Group LLC since March 2010, according to Business Week. 

R. Kirk Huntsman Bio from Nexus Dental Alliance, his virtual Dental Management company.  Virtual, meaning you just “pretend”, “not real”? 

Mr. Huntsman has been active in the dental industry for over 23 years.

Yet, never took time to become a dentist, wonder why?  If he was so into it, you’d have thought he would want to actually be one, right?

In 1988, he became the Dallas/Ft. Worth licensee for Associated Financial Transition Consultants, Inc.(AFTCO Associates,) a dental practice brokerage company with over 65 offices nationwide.  Within two years, his was the top performing office in the nation.   In 1991, he acquired the Houston license and continued to rapidly expand. 

By 1995, he was ready to begin owning and operating practices, so he launched Dental One as a dental management services organization, or DMSO.

In 1995, as well as today, it was illegal for a non-dentist to own dental practices!  I guess Mr. Huntsman failed to read the following page of info over at the AFTCO website, but it’s easy to see how he could become confused, since it’s written in a lot of double speak BS. Plus, it used the word “Goodwill” which I’m sure is not in his vocabulary.  Had the word, “Greed” been used, it would have had his complete attention.  Here is what is on the AFTCO’s website:

Dental One Under Investigation In Colorado Fallout Hitting Texas? Is Dell Computer CEO a dentist?

What does Michael Dell, the CEO of Dell computers know about root canals?

Word coming out of Colorado today is the Dental One clinic in Mountain, Colorado might be in some trouble. Rumor has it the District Attorney in Monument, Colorado is investigation billing fraud allegations.

Dental One operates 14 practices in Colorado including
Jackson Creek Dental Care
15854 Jackson Creek Parkway
Suite 140
Monument, CO 80132
719-302-2200

Dental One is based in Dallas, Texas
DentalOne Partners - Dallas
17300 Dallas Parkway
Suite 1070
Dallas, Texas 75248

 
Dental One

Dental One says it's an advisory company that owns clinics in various states.

Dental One Officers:
Edward H. Meckler, Chairman, DDS
Peter Grumbos, Chief Clinical Officer, DDS, FAGD
Keith Miller, Chief Operating Officer
David J. Krause, Chief Financial Officer
Dave Drzewiecki, Chief Information Officer
David G. Slezak, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Charlie Zasso, Chief Clinical Director, DDS, FAGD
Andy McBryde, Vice President, Central Operations
Chris Tsichlis, Vice President, Human Resources

Dental One, Inc
Dental Care Partners, Inc
Dental One Partners is a trademark owned by Dental One, Inc and refers to dental practices serviced by either Dental Care Partners, Inc or Dental One, Inc.
Dental Works – refers to dental practices serviced by Dental Care Partners, Inc

 

 

DentalOne Partners - Dallas
17300 Dallas Parkway
Suite 1070
Dallas, Texas 75248

Phone: 972-755-0800
Fax: 972-755-0890
Email: dallas.office@dentalonepartners.com

March 2007 – Purchased by North Peak Capital, LLC a subsidiary of MSD Capital, LP (MSD=Michael and Susan Dell, CEO, Dell Computers