The Medicaid gravy train continues

If you read this blog, then you know profits with Medicaid dentistry is made on high volume, gross excessive treatment, all at a single visit. The prime example is Small Smiles and their Production Per Patient (PPP) mantra handed out to their employed dentists. As testimony revealed in a New York malpractice case, "PPP is the Golden Goose", said one Small Smile executive. As was put another way by one of Small Smiles managers, “you eat what you kill”. 

It’s undeniable, years ago, Small Smiles Dental set the gold standard of excessive treatment by restraining children with use of the papoose board. 

As heat from press, parents and few state dental board followed some Medicaid accepting dentists and dental chains decided sedation would be the key even more profits, leaving the least amount of yuk in everyone's mouth—the children, the parents and especially the public.

Weekend "get-a-way" sedation courses were developed, lobbyist hired and representatives of the dental community were sent on press junkets stressing the need for higher reimbursements from insurers and Medicaid; all to accomplish the same thing—Production Per Patient. Now, as ABC news has reported in 2012, we have children being overdosed, brain damaged and dying at an alarming rate.

All the while, government regulators appear to be hiding under their desks. It is understandable that the bulk of the dental profession has given up. It’s been proven over and over there is no money to be made in Medicaid dentistry, if provided ethically. Add government corruption and ineptitude to the mix and it’s like the sadistic relationship between the addict, and their co-dependent enabler; life and death danger to both.

This week’s second most stupid story, with no point whatsoever.

 

July 30, 2012|By Tim Darragh, The Morning Call

 

Medicaid cuts mean less dental care for poor

Allentown endodontist is driven to retirement as Pennsylvania eliminates root canal coverage through Medicaid.

Jerome Grossinger has closed his endodontistry practice (root canals)… (BEN MORRISON, THE MORNING…)

 

 

The phone is still ringing off the hook in Dr. Jerome Grossinger's quarters in an office building in Allentown's West End.

But his office isn't taking appointments.

The 77-year-old endodontist, a dentist who specializes in root canals, has relieved his patients' excruciating pain for the past 42 years, focusing in recent years on low-income and disabled people covered by Medicaid.

He is 77 for heavens sake!!!  The way this story is presented you would think he was in his prime and had a wife and 4 little ones at home – two still in diapers.

But instead of treating the 15-20 new patients he'd typically see every week, Grossinger recently sat alone in his office and scanned years of patient records in bags, furniture stacked in the waiting room and the odds and ends of four decades of health care being readied for the Dumpster.

Grossinger is reluctantly calling it quits.

"I cannot believe this is happening to me," he said, recently. "I'm really in a daze about this."

Seriously!!!??  Look, Dr. Grossinger is probably a great guy and has had a thriving business for many many years, but to make him the example of Medicaid cuts??!!

 

More Casamassimo propaganda; he needs more money from Medicaid. He says the same crap year after year, and never is enough ever enough. Kinda of like a drug addict chasing the dragon isn’t it.

I’m so sick of people like Paul Casamassimo, DDS spewing his bullshit. He has a vested monetary incentive to mouth off this crap and people just keep right on publishing it. Amazing! I’m sick of him and the elites like him saying people on public assistance are no show losers. And I’m sick of him trying to say the American taxpayer should pick up the bill for doctors who have missed appointments, or empty chairs as he puts it.  Empty chairs may be a problem. Shit, don’t have 14 chairs you need to fill, Dr. Cass-ass! Think about it, you fool! BTW, are you still on the “advisory board” of that child abusing, scumbag company Small Smiles Dental?? If Cassamassimo would stop helping corporations steal Medicaid dollars to line their pockets there might be more money for us to pay for empty chairs and those missed appointments. Of course, that’s just how I see it… and I’m an idiot…so who cares what I think, right?

 

Dentists, Medicaid don't mix
Dental care for poor faces challenges of culture, funding

Marionstar.com

You're at a job interview, so smile. But if you're missing teeth, you're less likely to get hired.

Ohio's Medicaid-eligible population largely ignores dental health, dental professionals say. This means minor problems turn into big problems, which frequently end up with the dentist yanking out the problematic tooth.

Medicaid Dental Patients For Sale

This one blows my mind. This was an ad that landed in many dentists email box on Monday. 1-800-Dentist selling "leads" for prospective new patients on "state aid". Now, I ask you, what medical provider is patient shopping for potential patients in a program most all says reimburses way too little? Only a big dental mill would be willing to pay $25 per lead for 'state aid' patients.

Is 1-800-Dentist selling patient contact information or are they a third party broker and selling the names of patients which would be (assets) of bankrupt dental clinics such as Small Smiles and All Smiles? Someone needs to be asking?

HIPPA violations??  Anyone??  Bueller?

Where did 1-800-Dentist get these names? At the Corporate Dentistry Going Out of Business Sale?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What's really fantastic, is they can sell the same stuff over and over and over and over again. This is really not unlike the paid patient hunters where dental clinics have employees hit the food banks and food stamp office and get paid per head to bring them directly to the dental office. The patients want to come to get their wal-mart gift cards and such!  Win win!