Friday, April 04, 2008

FORBA - Small Smiles Closing Dentist Office

Newburgh, NY

Six months after a dental office opened in Newburgh to treat the region's most vulnerable, it will close. Small Smiles Dentistry of Newburgh had barely gotten started. The practice treated patients in a blank-faced office complex southwest of Delano-Hitch Park and specialized in treating Medicaid patients 20 years old and younger.

Employees learned the center would close when one of their corporate bosses showed up last week to deliver the news. Staffers knew too few patients had come through the doors, but they had hoped for more time.

Of the 70 Small Smiles offices across the country, Newburgh's will be the first to shut down.


Hopefully they will start to fall like Dominoes! There is always hope!

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Michael A. DeRose- Health Care Reform Act Elector

New York State Department of Health

What is it?

This is what is says at the site:

Below is an alphabetical list and Excel Worksheets of organizations that have voluntarily elected to make public goods payments directly to the Department of Healths Pool Administrator. To be included on the list, an organization must have elected in conformance with HCRA provisions and Department requirements. The current list is tentative, conditional upon review and acceptance of the information submitted by the payors on their election applications. This list will be updated monthly.

Effective April 1, 2008
Here is the link to see where he is listed click

I'm not sure what this is, but using the words "conformance" and "Michael A. DeRose" in the same sentence raises my suspicions, what about yours?

The info at the link says:
Effective date (for mikie) is July 2007
Michael A DeRose, DDS, PA
Charlotte, NC
Contact Info is: Ryan Root at (704)395-6000

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Congressman Dennis Kucinich Call Small Smiles a Dental Mill

Congressman Dennis Kucinich said Small Smiles?FORBA had found way to make money off poor children by creating dental mills to make a buck while blasting Medicaid for not doing more to improve dental care for children on mediciad.



"Medicaid Officials in Congress [02/14/08]"
-----------------------------------------
Small Smiles - Congress

A year after 12-year -old Deamonte Driver died of tooth decay, Medicaid officials were called before congress in February to explain what they've done to improve access to care for poor children.

Four out of five dentists refuse to treat Medicaid patients because reimbursement rates are so low. The congressman heading up the hearing blasted Medicaid for doing little to improve rates.

He pointed to the I-Team's reports on Small Smiles Dental clinics as an example of what can result.

Congressman Dennis Kucinich said "Small Smiles conceived of another away to make a profit: a
predatory mill where multiple, sometimes unnecessary procedures are imposed assembly line style on children for little regard for their welfare or proper dental practice."

Medicaid officials told congress today they are trying to make more dentists available for poor children, but conceded they have a long way to go.

Monday, March 10, 2008

FORBA hires another PR Firm

It appears FORBA, LLC Dental Management aka Forba Holding, is scrambling to do as much damage control as possible in light of the disturbing allegations with it's Small Smiles Dental Clinics.

They have hired yet another public relations firm, in Nashville, TN. McNeely, Pigott & Fox.

Wonder if they fired Rubin, Meyer or they feel they need as many public relations firms as they can hire.

After Donald Meyer was the person who sent the response to WJLA TV when the I-Team Investigation report came out exposing how Small Smiles Dental Clinics were abusing our children and our medicaid program. You can download that statement here by clicking on Froba Dental Mngt. Statement.

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Kiely's Dental Abuse Update 4

Bullhead City Lawyers!

March 4, 2008

What a joke!

I called so many of them and ALL of them TURNED ME DOWN! They either didn’t do anything with kids or they wouldn’t help us because she has “No permanent physical damage.” I even had one guy tell me that “we are a busy and big law firm and since it was just restraints with no physical damage besides the petechiae then we can’t help you and no other law office is going to.” What a dick he was! ugh.

I can’t believe there isn’t ONE lawyer in this area that will help CHILDREN that have been TORTURED and ABUSED!!!!!!! It’s ridiculous! Someone needs to stand up for kids.

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Small Smiles-FORBA-DeRose Update From Roberta Baskin, WJLA TV

More Damning Evidence Keep Pouring In to I-Team Investigation.

Don't forget, even though this local investigation mentions Small Smiles, they go under the Name Smile Starters Smile High, Medicaid Dental Centers, FORBA, DeRose Children's Dental Center, Small Smiles Center/Clinic of Pueblo, and others. And if you read below in my previous post, more of these Dental Offices catering to children are jumping on this same bandwagon! Beware!




February 28, 2008
Roberta Baskin, of WJLA TV, broke and continues to follow the Small Smiles Dental Abuse and Fraud Investigation. Here is the transcript of Roberta’s latest installment.
ANCHOR:

RESTRAINING CHILDREN, PERFORMING UNNECESSARY TREATMENTS, HIRING UNLICENSED XRAY TECHNICIANS... THESE ARE ALL EXAMPLES OF THE SUB-STANDARD DENTAL CARE OUR I-TEAM FOUND AT THE SMALL SMILES CLINICS IN THE WASHINGTON DC AREA, AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WE'VE BEEN TELLING YOU HOW THE CHAIN OF CLINICS PLACES PROFIT OVER COMPASSIONATE CARE FOR MEDICAID CHILDREN. NOW ROBERTA BASKIN AND THE I-TEAM HAVE UNCOVERED MORE.... ROBERTA?
ROBERTA BASKIN:

SOME OF YOU WHO SAW OUR EARLIER REPORTS HAVE COME FORWARD WITH NEW EVIDENCE OF THE SMALL SMILES SCHEME TO BILL THE TAXPAYER-SUPPORTED MEDICAID PROGRAM FOR WORK THAT WASN'T NEEDED - OR WASN'T EVEN DONE.
STORY: Six year old Kayla Mason brushes her teeth day and night.



She's never had any cavities. That's why her mother, LaTasha Mason, was dismayed when dentists at Small Smiles in Oxon Hills said they found THREE.






LaTasha Mason-"I was like, oh my goodness, I was surprised, I really was. And they were like, well, the lady that called me back, she was like, well that's nothing compared to what we usually see."

She then had Kayla examined by a different dentist.

Mason-" And she gets up to leave and I'm like , well, what about the cavities?"

Turns out, there weren't any.


Mason-"I was really astonished, to say the least."

Mason is upset Small Smiles planned to drill into her daughter's teeth for no other reason than to profit from it.


Mason- "It's, it's just sickening." "(that's) the only thing I can think of, why they would want to drill in these baby's mouths, is for money."

Particularly upsetting is her feeling that Small Smiles lied to her.

Mason- "One maybe, that could have been an honest mistake. But
three? Absolutely not. Three is not a mistake, I'm sorry."

And when this family went to Small Smiles for a check-up, dentists saw four girls - and apparently 24 cavities.

Cheryl -" I felt like a bad mother." Cheryl assumed her children hadn't been brushing.
Roberta -"Were you in trouble?"
Rachelle -"Yes"
Cheryl -"I told them all of their teeth were going to fall out if they don't listen to me and brush their teeth. I called them "yuck mouths."
Roberta -"Yuck mouths?
Cheryl-"Yuck mouths."
Most of the work was completed, except on Rachel, who was told to come back for several more fillings. In the meantime, Rachel's mom heard about our Small Smiles investigation, and switched to Dr. Robert Camps.

Dr. Robert Camps - "I'm glad it wasn't done, because it
shouldn't have been done. Roberta -"Four fillings that she would have gotten on teeth that are perfectly fine."

Dr. Camps
-"Correct."


And that's not all. When Dr. Camps examined Rachel and her sister Rebecca, he realized - Small Smiles didn't DO all the work they charged for.

Rebecca's chart shows 8 cavities filled…but that's not what she remembered.
"I didn't see any drill or hear any drill.

Roberta -Did they numb you?

Rebecca
-"I didn't feel a numbing (or anything)."

And Dr. Robert Camps didn't see the work either. "these are not fillings." "I feel like they did more like a sealant, (where they didn't really drill into the tooth)." To be sure, Dr. Camp took x-rays.


Plea from I-Team, asking the public to keep the stories coming I, please help I-Team help the children. You are the eyes and ears! click here
ABC 7, WJLA TV is in the Washington, DC area, so all of our law makers watch this news.
Report by phone at 703-236-9559

Monday, March 03, 2008

Update 2 and 3 Kiely and Dr. Mike Kort-Kids Little Smiles

February 29, 2008 (Update 3)

We called the police last night and filed a report. The officer said to get a lawyer and go to the dental board because they can do more damage then he could. I already had the papers to file a formal complaint with the dental association board. I’ll be filling that out today. I will keep my blog updated with any and all progress!

Read more here along with comments:

February 28, 2008 (Update 2)

So my dad and I went to the dentist office at 11 to talk to Dr. Kort. He said that Kiely was really worked up so they had to restrain her by having 2 nurses hold her down but otherwise she did really well. So we talked about the petechia a bit and he said it’s from her “fussing” during the procedure. Then we asked about the “blue jacket” [Kie’s words] and told him that she has brought it up 3-4 times now and she’s sticking to her story. So he fessed up that they had to use restraints on her [called a popuse]. I told him that I never gave consent to restrain her. He said that the nurse wrote it down that it was ok so he did. I told him again that it was NEVER mentioned to me and that I would NEVER consent to anyone restraining my kid! My mom was with me yday when I asked them what was going to happen and not ONCE did she mention restraints of any kind. He said that it could’ve been mentioned about wrapping them or something and I again told him NO, nothing like that was mentioned to me! My mom verifies it was not mentioned. He told me that they use the popuse to protect the kids while he works since he has needles and drills going he doesn’t want them to get hurt. I feel that there is a better way then restraining a child w/o the parents consent! At least let the parents try to calm the child. Then I told him that I did not appreciate his staff writing me off and ignoring my concerns. Telling me that the petechia was a latex allergy and then taking her in the back and coming back saying that he told her it was just a latex allergy. And then to ignore my concerns when it got worse an hour later. He told me that he was sorry that I felt that I was written off and that we had such a bad experience and I was free to take her somewhere else. He also said that he knew it wasn’t a latex allergy because it was only around her eyes.
I feel that he has no idea what he’s talking about. His staff lied to both of us or at least me. And it’s just wrong.

Kids Little Smiles, Bullhead Arizona Another Dental Torture Chamber


Here is a story of Kiely. A child who visited Kids Little Smiles Dentistry For Children, Bullhead, AZ.

I don't know if Kids Little Smiles is another one of FORBA/Araptica Bank's torture chambers but if it walks like a duck, it could be one. However, it could be just another dental chop shop for children that has found a way to actually make money torturing children.


Kiely's Trauma Story at the hands of the dentist, Dr. Mike Kort pictured above:

On 02/27/08 Kiely had a dentist appt with Dr. Michael Kort with Kool Lil Smiles Dentistry for kids on Miracle mile.
When the nurse came to get Kiely and take her back Kiely wanted me to go but the nurse said that she had to try and go w/o me and told her “I will come and get mom in a minute if you still want her.” Well she never came back to get me.

When Kiely came out from her procedure she was dripping sweat, her eyes were swollen and she had these small red dots all over them. The nurse said “She had a little bit of a hard time.” She also said “we gave her the nitros but she didn’t like it so we gave her some oxygen to flush it out of her system.” I asked what was wrong w/her eyes and the nurse told me she will take her back and call me in to talk to the dentist in a minute, well she only took Kiely back and came back a second later and said that the Dr said it’s a Latex allergy but they think it might be from the nitros mask. I told them “She doesn’t have a latex allergy.” The dentist wouldn’t come talk to me.
They told me to watch it and if it gets worse to let them know. So I called them about an hour later b/c her right eye was turning blue and bruising and the dots traveled to behind her ear and her eyes were still swollen. The same nurse then told me “It’s just a latex allergy and it’ll go away.” I asked if I could speak or come and see the Dr and she told me “He already left for the day but if it is still there in the morning to bring her in and we will treat her as an emergency.” I asked if I should be giving her some benadryl since it’s an allergy and she said “I can’t give you that kind of advice but if you feel you need to.”

So I hung up and I did NOT give her any medication except the tylenol w/codeine for her pain. So I took her to BHCFD [since my dad is a captain there and he was on duty]. I had 4 paramedics tell me it’s petichiae from someone putting too much pressure on her face [they see this in the ER when a child had been suffocated w/a pillow]. So then we are eating dinner and she starts telling us that they were ignoring her when she told them it hurt [when they were drilling] and that when she asked them to get me they ignored her again! Then she told us that they didn’t put a mask on her but they put a white jacket that held her arms down. And that it hurt her and she was scared.

The nurse did NOT tell me nor did they ask me if they could use this type of treatment on my child. Even after the fact they didn’t tell me. So this morning [2/28/08] after She woke up I took her straight to her pediatrician [Dr. Nalia Tariq].
She confirmed that it was petechia from too much pressure. But she thinks it’s from the jacket b/c Kiely was trying to get out of it and freaking out. So I went to the dentist office and got copies of all her medical records and consent forms. They are useless and don’t say a thing. So I asked if I could talk to the dentist and they said he isn’t in yet and won’t be until 1030 but I could come back at 11 and he should have a few minutes to talk to me. So i will be leaving in a few minutes.
Ca Ching!

I would suspect since Dr. Charles Lucero and Dr. Nate Urquhart work there they would be guilty of this type of treatment as well or they wouldn't be working there.


My heart goes out to Kiely and her family and I'm so sorry she had to suffer like this at the hands of a dentist. I hope that Kiely's parents file formal complaints with the following and join in the movement to put an end to this:

The Arizona Attorney General
The Better Business Bureau In Arizona
The Dental Association of Arizona
And File a Police Report!

I also hope that Dr. Nalia Tariq, who examined Kiely after this event files a complaint.

Here is the contact information for Kids Little Smiles
Kids Little Smiles
2401 S Miracle Mile
Bullhead City, AZ 86442
(928) 704-5573
kidslittlesmiles_bullhead@frontiernet.net

Before You Take You Child To The Dentist, Read This Site

Parents trust medical personnel way too easily. We are somehow assume they must know more than us because they've spent so much time in school, and that is one of the largest mistakes we make. Of course put anyone in a white coat or any kind of uniform and the general public naturally look to those people as being someone in authority, that's why they wear the uniform in the first place. But just because they have a white coats on or any uniform does not mean they know what is best for you, your family or your child!

We have to have a mindset that we are a consumer of their goods. It's imperative!


My son's further explanation sums up what you said about us trusting the professionals.

Here is what he said:

"If they don't tell you there are any other options for the procedure , you go with what the people that are supposed to know what they are doing make the recommendations"

I'm sorry, that still doesn't wash with me. Maybe I'm just too hard, all I know is I would NEVER agree to this so I say:

1.Why don't you ask?
2.Surely anyone with any common sense whatsoever would NOT allow their child to be traumatized.
3.Get your brain out of your pocket and use it!

Of course after they still could not complete the crowns on the baby teeth cause my grandson was fighting for his life, thrashing about and screaming for dear life, they weren't able to do it and then and only then did the dentist suggest putting him under a light sedation and doing it at another time.

So just how bad did this need to be done then? Evidently not that bad, and it most certainly wasn't an emergency situation.

I can't tell you the tears I've cried picturing this trauma happening to my grandson. It was out of this rage and heartbreak I've taken up this cause I will see as much information is out there as possible to save as many children from this as I can.

Spreading the word and bringing this to the forefront on every parent who has a child is the only way this is going to end.

In Europe this is outlawed in many countries and I can't believe it's happening right here in the US to the most innocent of our citizens.

Children depend on us, the parents and grandparent to protect them, it's out JOB. Imagine how any child who has suffered this trauma feels now, and what scars will each of these children carry with them into the future.

You can help by doing exactly what I'm doing. Writing about it, contacting Federal and State Legislators, and exposing dentists who use these papoose boards.

My next step is to call dentists my area of the country, asking what kind of behavior control they use to treat our children, and if they mention a papoose board, pediwrap, or any other kind of restraint, their name, address and phone number will be appearing on my site and other sites on the internet where you can write reviews, and there are a bunch of those!

This has been every time consuming since I'm pretty much at this alone, but I feel it's worth every second of my time and your help is more appreciated that you will ever know.

There are laws out there that protect our elderly from unnecessary and abusive restraining but nothing protecting our children. So far, Colorado is the only state who has stepped up and given the dental community there very "strict" guidelines. However, if the parents of Colorado don't know about this, and don't question their dentists, I feel the dentists will continue to strap children down to speed up the "chair time".

During my research of the use of Papoose Boards is when I found all the information of these "dental mills" that are setting up in low income areas and bilking our medicaid systems for millions and millions of dollars, at the expense of the mental health of our nations children. They decorate the offices to be "kid friendly" which in my opinion misrepresents the clinics as employing "Pediatric Dentists" when in fact few have spent the two extra years training to treat the little ones.

They get away with it by stating under their kid friendly signage "General Dentistry For Kids". The key word being "General Dentistry".
In my opinion this is misleading to parents.

Another way dentist get away with strapping children down in the "blanket" treatment consent form. Parents need to read those forms over very carefully. You may very well be consenting to torture of your children by the "Professionals".

Consumers must be aware at all times! I also worry about these dental buses that come to schools to treat children who are on public assistance. We know the parents are not present when this happens, and surely a consent for treatment form was sent home for parents to sign.

Lord knows what they agreed to, and in you don't know what a Papoose Board is, or a Pediwrap or Rainbow wrap is, (they sound so warm and fuzzy don't they) of course parents are going to sign it. After all these parents are excited and thankful, little Johnny and little Sally are going to get the much needed dental treatment they probably need.

Saturday, March 01, 2008

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.