Showing posts with label Dr. Gary Anusavice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dr. Gary Anusavice. Show all posts

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Dentist, Gary Anusavice sentenced to 8 years in prison for Medicaid Fraud

 

CBS Conn

Prison time for a Connecticut dentist who swindled millions from the federal Medicaid program.

Gary Anusavice, 60, used recruiters, to seek poor patients who used Medicaid. Then he would perform unnecessary dental procedures and file fraudulent Medicaid claims that added up to $20 million, $3.3 million he collected for himself from 2008 through 2012.

Anusavice is now sentenced to eight years in prison and has been ordered to pay $10 million in fines, give up his luxurious Rhode Island home, a boat, his Mercedes, and about $90,000 in cash found at his home.

He operated a network of clinics where the fraud went on in the central, southern and western parts of Connecticut.


thecourant

Dentist In Massive Medicaid Fraud Case Sentenced To 8 Years

By EDMUND H. MAHONY, emahony@courant.com The Hartford Courant
9:32 p.m. EDT, October 9, 2013

HARTFORD — A dentist barred from practicing elsewhere in New England was sentenced Wednesday to eight years in prison for operating assembly line-style clinics in Connecticut that targeted poor patients, performed unnecessary dental procedures and collected on more than $20 million in fraudulent claims from Medicaid.

Gary Anusavice, 60, operated networks of clinics in the south, central and western parts of the state from 2008 to 2012 and personally collected more than $3.3 million from the fraud.

Under a variety of settlements with the state and federal governments, Anusavice will pay more than $10 million in fines and restitution, in addition to giving the government his 8,000-square-foot home in Rhode Island, his boat, his Mercedes-Benz and about $90,000 in cash that investigators found in the home.


Anusavice opened clinics in areas where high concentrations of low-income people relied on the federal government's Medicaid program for medical treatment. Medicaid, which is administered in Connecticut by the state Department of Social Services, reimburses physicians for costs they incur while treating patients who are unable to pay.

Thursday, June 06, 2013

Dr. Gary Anusavice, DDS pleads guilty in CT–Should have been jailed and key disposed of years ago.

Ex-dentist pleads guilty in $20M Medicaid scam

Dr. BicuspidBy DrBicuspid Staff

June 5, 2013 -- A former Rhode Island dentist who lost his license in the state and in Massachusetts over charges of Medicaid fraud has pleaded guilty to healthcare fraud and tax evasion in Connecticut in connection with a $20 million Medicaid fraud scheme.

Gary Anusavice, also known as Gary Andrews, Gary Andrus, and Gary Francis, of North Kingstown, RI, pleaded guilty June 3 before U.S. Magistrate Judge William Garfinkel in Bridgeport, CT.

According to court documents, in July 1997, Anusavice was convicted in Massachusetts state court for submitting false healthcare claims in relation to his involvement in dental clinics. He subsequently surrendered his dentistry licenses in Massachusetts and Rhode Island for five years.

After additional investigations, in 2005 Anusavice surrendered his right to practice dentistry in Rhode Island for 18 months, and the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Dentistry permanently revoked Anusavice's license to practice dentistry in Massachusetts in 2006. As of May 1998, Anusavice has been excluded from participating in Medicare and state healthcare programs, including Medicaid…

Continue reading at Dr. Bicuspid

RELATED

Dr. Gary Anusavice – Select Dental Woes May 2008 

The Secret Service is investigating a disgraced dentist and at least two of his business associates in connection with the abrupt closure of Select Dental in Howard Beach in November, the Daily News has learned.

The dental practice, known for its once-ubiquitous ads on cable TV, allegedly targeted clients without insurance and financed their dental work with medical credit cards.

Customers were apparently billed for exorbitant fees - as much as $25,000, all up front - for poor and incomplete dental work. Then the company skipped town.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/secret-service-probing-select-dental-article-1.326333#ixzz2VSzsQsye

Dr. Gary Anusavice – Rosewood Dental Woes October 2007

"I have no teeth back here," Harrison said. "And I'm out $12,000."  CBS 2 has obtained records showing the man apparently behind the operation had his dental license suspended and later revoked in other states.

His name is Gary Anusavice. Charges with licensing agencies in Massachusetts and Rhode Island included providing unwanted dental services, credit card fraud, bait and switch, and billing patients for services not delivered.

Vincent O'Neill, Rosewood’s district manager,  told CBS 2 that Anusavice hired him to open the clinics in Illinois saying, "He's the man, the man behind it all."

Continue reading at NowPublic.com: Dental Clinic Left Patients Toothless And In Debt | NowPublic Photo Archives http://www.nowpublic.com/health/dental-clinic-left-patients-toothless-and-debt-1#ixzz2VSzJ0kUT

Tuesday, August 07, 2012

Care Credit comes under fire again after Hartford Dental Care closes.

 

View more videos at: http://nbcconnecticut.com.

 

 

Painful Dentist Bill Questioned
By Troubleshooter Chris Coffey

Tuesday, Aug 7, 2012

A dental patient from East Hartford said she was billed thousands of dollars for a procedure that was not completed.  Investigators said the dental clinic in question is connected to a man charged with bilking millions of Medicaid dollars out of the government.

Maria Ruiz and her husband received a flyer for Hartford Dental Care in May.  It was good timing, since Ruiz was experiencing mouth pain.

Ruiz visited the dental facility and said she was urged to sign up for a third party financing plan called Care Credit.  She said the clinic prescribed her medicine and told her she needed a root canal.  Ruiz said she had some work done on her mouth, but she never received the full root canal after three visits to Hartford Dental Care.

"I also asked them why they didn't fix my teeth and they told me they will call me in two weeks," Ruiz said through an interpreter.

By then it was too late.  Hartford Dental Care appeared to have permanently shut its doors.

A Connecticut Attorney General investigation resulted in federal agents arresting the owner, Gary Anusavice.  Anusavice was charged with running a $20 million Medicaid fraud scheme at his clinics in West Haven, Trumbull and Stamford, which also appear to have closed.

"It's not clear that everybody who worked for these clinics were consciously aware that Anusavice was behind it all," said Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen.

However, Ruiz got stuck with a near $3,800 bill from Care Credit.  The Connecticut State Dental Association said a root canal would not cost that much by itself.

Through an emailed statement, Anusavice's lawyer said Ruiz's treatment was probably discontinued not because of fraud, but because the clinic was shut down after the government terminated its Medicaid practicing rights.

But Ruiz and her husband told the Troubleshooters she was not on Medicaid.

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley obtained a judgment against Anusavaice in 2010, claiming Anusavice and others lured patients in with deceptive marketing, pressured patients to agree to costly dental treatments, then failed to complete the procedures or provided shoddy treatment.

Sound familiar?

"If they will ever do the treatment on me, if they get the work done on my teeth, then, yes, I will pay them, but how am I going to pay something that they never did," Ruiz said.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts required Anusavice to pay $237,500 for victim restitution and penalties as a result of the judgment. 

Years earlier, Anusavice sustained a felony conviction in 1997 in Massachusetts for submitting false health care claims.  In 1998, the federal government also banned him from participating in Medicare and Medicaid.  According to the feds, the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Dentistry permanently revoked Anusavice's license to practice dentistry in Massachusetts in 2006.

Investigators said Anusavice opened his clinics in Connecticut and used a licensed dentist to act as the nominal head.  According to the indictment, Anusavice, who is not licensed to practice dentistry in Connecticut, even reviewed patient charts and suggested dental procedures.

"They were fraudulently, in effect, billing the federal government for services," Jepsen said.

It's a big concern to the Connecticut State Dental Association.

"Anytime even one or two of these providers is alleged to have committed fraud, it reflects poorly on our profession as a whole," said CSDA president Dr. Carolyn Malon.

Jury selection for Anusavice's trial starts next January.  He faces up to twenty years in federal prison if convicted.

The Troubleshooters contacted Care Credit, which then got in touch with Ruiz.  Care Credit told the Troubleshooters it had tried to reach Ruiz, but apparently did not have her correct phone number.  Ruiz said she is no longer on the hook for the $3800 bill.  Instead, she only owes $71 in dispute fees.

Care Credit said it is no longer working with Hartford Dental Care due to a pending investigation.

The Connecticut State Dental Association urges patients who are in need of a new dentist to ask friends and family members for referrals.

"They can tell you who their dentist is, whether this is somebody who they've been going to for a long time, how well they're cared for there," Malon said.

The CSDA also recommends would-be patients contact the Connecticut Dental Health Partnership here.

Friday, June 01, 2012

Connecticut AG with Kahunas Files Suit Against Corporations and Management Companies

Standing Ovation! 


AG names 28 in civil complaint alleging illegal Medicaid billing scheme

From ConnecticutPlus.com
Jun 1, 2012 - 9:25 AM

HARTFORD, CT - Attorney General George Jepsen has brought a civil action against 28 individuals, dental practices and corporations alleging an elaborate and illegal scheme, which resulted in more than $24 million in fraudulent Medicaid clams over two years in violation of the Connecticut False Claims Act and Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act.

The complaint seeks restitution, treble damages and civil penalties as well as a permanent injunction against the unlawful acts and practices alleged in the complaint.


The individuals named in the State’s complaint are Gary Anusavice (former DDS)of North Kingston, R.I., Mehran Zamani, DDS of Pound Ridge, N.Y. and Stamford; Paul Anusavice of North Grafton, MA; John Gallagher of Manchester, MA; David Wu,DDS of Cheshire and Alphonso Mack,DDS of Bloomfield.


Gary Anusavice and Zamani were arrested last week on federal criminal charges for their alleged involvement in the same billing scheme.


“This is the first case the state has initiated under the Connecticut False Claims Act,” Attorney General Jepsen said. “It gives the State the rightful ability to seek compensation for taxpayers from those who seek to abuse the system with false claims for reimbursements they are not eligible to receive.”


The Attorney General brought the unfair trade practices complaints at the request of Consumer Protection Commissioner William Rubenstein. “The allegations of the complaint are serious, and our consumer laws against unfair and deceptive practices protect state taxpayer dollars whenever medical providers make wrongful claims for reimbursement from the Medicaid program,” Rubenstein said.


Department of Social Services Commissioner Roderick L. Bremby, said “We greatly appreciate the Attorney General’s dedication of both resources and expertise to bring forward this major case of alleged provider fraud. DSS investigators first identified the suspected fraudulent activity and worked with the AG’s Office and federal authorities to develop the case. The role of the Department of Consumer Protection is also important in our collective efforts to root out fraud and abuse on behalf of taxpayers.”


The DSS administers the Connecticut Medical Assistance Program, which includes Medicaid, a joint federal-state program, which provides medical benefits for more than 500,000 low-income Connecticut residents.


The State complaint also names the dental practices and other corporations created or controlled by the various individuals. They include
E.G.A. Mangement, Inc.
Haven Consulting, Inc.
AMZ Consulting, Inc.,
Dental Care of Connecticut, Inc.,
N.B. Dental, Inc.
Electron Marketing, Inc. of Fall River, MA
Dental Group of Stamford, LLC
Dentists Group of Stamford, PC.

Mehran Zamani, LLC,
Mehran Zamani, DDS, PC;
Dental Group of Connecticut, LLC,
Dentists Group of Connecticut, PC;
Dental Group of Waterbury, LLC,
Dentists Group of Waterbury, PC;
Dental Group of Danbury, PC;
Dental Group of New Britain, PC;
Dental Group of Hartford, PC;
Hartford Dental Care, LLC;
Hartford Dental Incorporated, PC;
Arbor Dental Association, LLC;
Alpha Dental Group, PC;
Wintonbury Dental Associates, PC.