Dr. Bryan Spilmon also one of the many guilty dentist exposed. WSBT News Story here
More Dentists Medicaid Fraud Cases here.
There are hundreds of stories on the Internet about this happening, however none compares to the torture of the innocent children like those involving Medicaid Dental Centers, Small Smiles, Smile High, Smile Starters and other FORBA managed dental clinics.
Monday, April 14, 2008
ABC- I-Team Furthers Investigation
ABC-I -Team Furthers Investigation
Labels/Tags:
ABC I-Team Investigation,
Roberta Baskin
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Smile Starters Dental Clinics-Dr. Raf Rivera cohort of Michael DeRose and Tish Ballance Since 2002
In an Email I was told:
There is a Dr. Rafael Rivera, Jr NC dental license number 6870 in Charlotte, NC whose licenses was issued 6-26-1998 and is up for renewal in March 2009 and has no Dental Board Actions listed at present.
Dr. Michale DeRose was issued a NC dental license in 6-15-2001 and is on probation as listed on the NC Dental Board site.
The dental clinics in NC started out named the Medicaid Dental Centers.I'm trying to confirm this.
They changed the name to the Carolina Dental Centers.
They just renamed the clinics again to Smile Starters.
Mike Derose and Tish Ballance just sold the clinics to a Dr. Rafael (Raf) Rivera, Jr. after paying the 10 million dollar fine to the government.
They are trying to say that since they sold the clinics they are all under new management and are hoping that the bad press will go away.
Dr. Raf Rivera has been working for Derose and Ballance since 2002. He was involved in the NC Dental board case involving excessive treatment, etc...and he did treatment that you hear about on Small Smiles and Kool Smiles, etc..
Hope this helps.
There is a Dr. Rafael Rivera, Jr NC dental license number 6870 in Charlotte, NC whose licenses was issued 6-26-1998 and is up for renewal in March 2009 and has no Dental Board Actions listed at present.
Dr. Michale DeRose was issued a NC dental license in 6-15-2001 and is on probation as listed on the NC Dental Board site.
Labels/Tags:
Dr. Michael DeRose,
Small Smiles,
Smile Starters,
Tish Ballance
Friday, April 11, 2008
Small Smiles Again Under Fire in Albany, NY 4-1-08
Attn: State Investigators
If there is a Small Smiles Clinic in your state and you are not investigating them, you should be. There is a clear connection between Medicaid Dental Clinics, Small Smiles and Kool Smiles. At the end of this article you will see exactly what the connection is.
Two Employees Speaks out about Small Smiles Office in Albany New York.
Video May Be Disturbing
Part 1 of Investigation:
update 3/1/2010
If there is a Small Smiles Clinic in your state and you are not investigating them, you should be. There is a clear connection between Medicaid Dental Clinics, Small Smiles and Kool Smiles. At the end of this article you will see exactly what the connection is.
Two Employees Speaks out about Small Smiles Office in Albany New York.
Video May Be Disturbing
Part 1 of Investigation:
CBS Channle 6 WRGB New Albany, New York, April 1, 2008
Picture a young child strapped into a dental chair, unable to move his arms or legs.
As the cold, metal instruments invade his trembling mouth, the boy's heart begins to race: 200 beats per minute. 225. 250.
Now, he's sweating, throwing-up and urinating his pants - frantically scanning the room full of masked faces for some sign the pain will come to an end.
But it does not. The dentist keeps on working
"That's Small Smiles," said Nicole, a former assistant at the Colonie children's dentistry clinic. "Don't bring your kids there."
Speaking on condition of anonymity, former employees Nicole and Holly detailed a list of allegations against the clinic and its lead dentist, Dr. Maziar Izadi. They include:
-Rushing through procedures, even when children are vomiting and urinating
-Allowing children's heart rates to go dangerously past 200 beats per minute
-Performing unnecessary procedures, such as placing crowns on baby teeth that are about to fall-out
-Needlessly placing children under a papoose board, a device that immobilizes their arms and legs
-Discouraging parents from sitting with their children during procedures
-Failing to properly sterilize instruments
"They were constantly pushing production," Holly said. "I think they do it so they can make a fast buck."
Holly and Nicole allege staff members, notably Dr. Izadi, earn lucrative bonuses for achieving certain production numbers - a claim the company denies.
Dr. Izadi did not return CBS 6 phone calls, and ran to his car when approached by CBS 6 reporter Steve Flamisch and photographer Chris Cornell in the Small Smiles parking lot.
A receptionist forwarded our call to Small Smiles corporate spokesman Don Meyer, who said that a review of 40 charts found that all procedures were "necessary and proper." He acknowledged, however, that the doctor who performed the review is a Small Smiles employee, and not an independent expert.
To be fair, Small Smiles did take swift action when informed of allegations that several employees may be using crack cocaine and marijuana, allegedly during their lunch breaks.A corporate team promptly flew-in from Colorado and drug tested the entire staff. Meyer confirmed there were terminations, but he would not say how many - nor would he say whether anyone had been tested at the time of their hiring. Former employees allege no one is tested.
A government source confirmed that state officials are looking into the list of allegations against Small Smiles.
The company's clinics have also been the subject of news investigations in Denver, Rochester, and Washington D.C.
According to reports, FORBA, LLC began in Pueblo, CO, then was taken over by Sanus, a holding company in Nashville, TN, but a large portion of it's firm would continue to operate out of Pueblo, CO.
Hmmm.. Isn't that where Michael DeRose, DDS, owner of a 3 million dollar home, who was fined $10 million dollars this week lives? Well, yes it is as a matter of fact.
Now isn't William A. Mueller, DDS an old buddy of Michael DeRose's? Well, yes he is, they co-owned several clinics together back in the day. Including Smile High Dental Clinic in Colorado.
Isn't William A. Mueller associated with FORBA, LLC from it's conceptions? Well, yes he surely is. see here . and here And look, a one Edward DeRose in with FORBA. This Eddy could be related to Michael DeRose, well I bet he is don't you?
And look here! See how many founders of Kool Smiles are formerly associated with Smile High Dental Clinics out of Colorado. Looks like at least two. Dr. Tu Tran and Dr. Tim Pham.
And look here. FORBA says he operates 42 clinics and has 750,000 patients a year.
And here is where we find ourselves at Arcapita, Inc. Arcapita Bank. Where it acquired FORBA for 435 million dollars.
I found this at topix:
I work for Kool Smiles, a sister corporation of Small Smiles and all I can say is that their "philosophy" is awfully confusing. They say that they do not NOT allow parents to go back with their children during treatment, yet when we had people from our corporate office visiting us one week, we were reprimanded endlessly for having parents in the back office and they even went so far as to have additional training for employees to learn how to "handle" those parents who want to accompany their child. We also have a consent form somewhere in a packet of forms that every parent is required to fill out every six months, that allows us to use restraint techniques, voice control, and hand-over-mouth on their children - if they are anything like me, they probably don't really read all of the forms they are signing and have no idea of what is really going on with their children in the back office. I can also tell you that it is not just done in the event of an emergency - it's usually done on smaller children who are afraid, and is used to control the child for long periods of time to complete the most dental work possible in the time alloted. I have only witnessed a couple of instances where it was actually beneficial for both the dental team and the patient. The majority of the time the child is terrified, screaming, crying, spitting, and choking thru the entire procedure, while the doctor and the assistant speaks to them in an angry tone, then is sent back out to their parent soaking wet with sweat and exhausted from the ordeal they just went thru. This whole practice is not only traumatic for the patient and upsetting to the parent, but nerve-racking for the dental auxiliary working on the child, which often results in poor quality dentistry. Not to mention the dentisit's they hire are usually fresh out of dental school and are not experienced enough to handle the fast-pace and large patient load demanded of them. I enjoy working with children and I love working with the under-served community because they really need the help and have little other options, but now that I'm starting to see and feel the other side of corporate dentistry, I'm really disappointed - even disgusted at times.
Awe. The Internet is a wonderful thing!
update 3/1/2010
Dr. Maziar Izadi is now practicing what he calls dentistry at Allcare in New York. Wonder why they hired him, he's a terrible dentist according to all reports.
Labels/Tags:
Allcare,
Don Meyer,
Dr. Maziar Izadi,
FORBA,
papoose board,
Small Smiles
Office of Inspector General Reports Wide Spead Fraud In Dental Medicaid Payment-September 2007
To All Dentist and Dental Corporations Exploiting and Abusing Our Children and Stealing Our Tax Dollars For Your Personal Gain and Lavish Life Styles: Big Brother Is Watching As Is This Blogger.
Download and Read The Report Here
Improper Medicaid payments for dental services have been identified periodically by State Medicaid Fraud Control Units (MFCU). In 2004, a MFCU investigation determined that dentists were reimbursed $4.5 million for unnecessary dental services. In 2000, another MFCU identified a widespread fraud scheme by dentists who recruited children to receive Medicaid-reimbursable services, many of which were unnecessary or were not provided.
Thirty-one percent of Medicaid pediatric dental services in the five States resulted in improper payments. In the five States we reviewed, improper payments for pediatric dental services provided during calendar year 2003 totaled an estimated $155 million, of which the Federal share was approximately $96 million.
Medicaid Program, abusing children and elders, and intentionally inflicting bodily injury.
The dentists unnecessarily performed root canals, drilled into patients’ healthy teeth, and completed as many as 20 medically unnecessary filling procedures on the same patient, defrauding the Medicaid program of $4.5 million.
In 2000, Florida’s MFCU investigated a widespread Medicaid fraud scheme by dentists who recruited children to receive Medicaid-reimbursable services. Many of the services were found to be unnecessary or not provided.
In fiscal year 2006, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented a program designed to estimate and monitor State and national improper payment rates in the Medicaid program.
In this report, they analyzed Medicaid pediatric dental services provided during calendar year 2003 in five States (Idaho, Indiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Texas).
Labels/Tags:
Medicaid Dental Fraud
Nine Dentist Suffer Consequenses of Abusing and Traumatizing Children
Charlotte Observer story
A VERY TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE FOR THE CHILDREN'
Medicaid dentists disciplined
Probation, reprimands were given before $10 million settlement
KAREN GARLOCH AND GARY L. WRIGHT
kgarloch@charlotteobserver.comgwright@charlotteobserver.com
Christy Dillbeck holds the stainless steel caps and teeth of her son Brandon. Brandon at the age of 4 had 16 teeth drilled out and capped with stainless steel in a scam by local dentists. (original story aired July 2003)
Nine dentists have been disciplined in connection with a Medicaid fraud case alleging they performed or billed for unnecessary dental work on poor children in North Carolina.Patients as young as 4 years old had multiple teeth pulled and root canals performed during single appointments at Medicaid Dental Center clinics in Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Asheville and Raleigh, according to state documents.At least two children received 16 pulpotomies, also known as "baby root canals," and 16 steel crowns during the same visit."It was a very traumatic experience for the children and their parents," said attorney Darren Dawson of Greenville, N.C., who represents some of the families involved."These were children who were 4, 5 and 6 who were told by their moms and dads that they were going to visit with trusted professionals. Suddenly, they're in there for three hours and coming out with a mouth full of steel."In a settlement announced Wednesday, Medicaid Dental Center, a privately owned chain of N.C. dental clinics, agreed to pay $10 million to the government to resolve allegations that it performed and billed for unnecessary dental work on kids.Clinic owners and dentists Letitia (Tish)Ballance. DDS of the Charlotte area and Michael DeRose,DDS of Pueblo, Colo., are also serving three years' probation, starting in 2005, by the N.C. Board of Dental Examiners.The seven other dentists who worked for the clinics received written reprimands in 2005 that will remain permanently in their N.C. files and with the National Practitioner Data Bank."It's something that will follow them in any state where they try to practice," said Bobby White, executive director of the dental board.White said the seven dentists received lighter discipline than the clinic owners because they were inexperienced and essentially following orders. Ballance and DeRose "were the bosses, making decisions and sending it down the line -- `You will do things this way,' " White said. "The board saw that as a mitigating factor."The seven include three from Charlotte -- Drs. John Lyons, Jeffrey Zieziula and Erron Brady. Others are Drs. Lori Petree and Christopher Ballinger of Winston-Salem, Dr. Heather Berkheimer of Southern Pines and Dr. Michelle Wilkerson of Raleigh, according to the dental board.None of the seven could be reached for comment Thursday. Several continue to work for Medicaid Dental Center, in the Charlotte office, now called Smile Starters, and elsewhere. Ballinger and Brady now work in private practice.According to the board's reprimands, Lyons and Ballinger saw patients initially and developed diagnosis and treatment plans. The remaining five dentists performed the treatment. The board accused all seven of doing their work "without adequate diagnostic documentation."The dental work was done between 2001 and 2003 and involved the children's baby teeth.Since 2005, the dental board has made unannounced inspections of Medicaid Dental Center, and found the clinics substantially in compliance with its standards.Spokeswomen for the U.S. attorney in Charlotte and the N.C. attorney general on Thursday would not disclose how many children they allege received unnecessary dental work, how many dentists were involved, or why the government settled for $10 million instead of bringing criminal charges.Federal and state laws do not explicitly make it illegal for dentists to perform unnecessary work. Such claims are typically left to malpractice lawsuits in civil court. There are laws making it a crime to commit Medicaid and health care fraud in billings.The settlement agreement doesn't prohibit prosecutors from bringing criminal charges. But when civil settlements are reached, sources said, it suggests prosecutors are not planning to pursue criminal charges.16 `baby root canals'One of the children treated in Charlotte was Brandon Dillbeck, then 4.His mother, Christy Dillbeck of Charlotte, said her son had 16 "baby root canals," and 16 stainless steel crowns placed on his teeth during one visit."He has nightmares to this day of people holding him down," the 24-year-old mother said. "He had blood all over his shirt. He was covered with sweat. He looked like he was in a trance. He was crying."Dillbeck said she had taken her son to the dentist to have his teeth cleaned. She was 19 at the time and unemployed, and she took Brandon to Medicaid Dental Center because the office accepted Medicaid.Dillbeck said she didn't give the dentist permission to perform the baby root canals or place the crowns on her son's teeth."What mother in her right mind would give permission to do that to their child all at one time?" she said. "A mother would have to be crazy to let someone do that to their child."He had beautiful teeth before. He came out of there, and they were all metal. He was embarrassed for years about how he looked. He wouldn't smile."Brandon, now 9, has lost his baby teeth and the steel crowns, but his mom worries he may still suffer long-term problems.Dawson, the Greenville lawyer, said Thursday he represents the families of five children, including Brandon, who received the questionable dental work. Four were patients at a Charlotte clinic, he said.Dawson and his colleague Harry Albritton are in preliminary negotiations with attorneys for Medicaid Dental Center and the dentists, seeking to reach a monetary settlement rather than go to court.'Black eye' to professionThe Medicaid Dental Center case gives a "black eye" to the profession, said Dr. Alec Parker, who heads the N.C. Dental Society, the state's professional organization for dentists."It's really just hard to understand how (dentists) could justify that," Parker said. "We put our trust in our health care providers, and we expect them to do what's best for the patient."Part of the problem, Parker said, is that private dentists don't accept many Medicaid patients because the state-federal insurance program for the poor and disabled doesn't provide adequate reimbursement. Dentists also shun Medicaid because it means extra paperwork and frequently missed appointments because patients don't have transportation.That leaves patients few choices for dental care and pushes dentists who do accept Medicaid to treat large numbers of patients. "When reimbursement rates are as low as they are, it makes it difficult to make ends meet," Parker said. "They feel like they have to overbill and overtreat to make a go of it."Still, Parker said, if the Medicaid Dental Center dentists knew that what they were doing was wrong, and did it repeatedly, they should be facing "more than just a reprimand.""People who are trying to take advantage of the system need to know that somebody's watching."Checking out your dentist• Ask friends and family for recommendations. Insurance companies and managed care plans usually have a panel of dentists.• After obtaining names, check to make sure they are properly licensed and have clear records.• N.C. dentists are licensed and disciplined by the N.C. Board of Dental Examiners: www.ncdentalboard.org; 919-678-8223.• S.C. dentists are licensed and disciplined by the S.C. Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation: www.llr.state.sc.us; 803-896-4300.• Ask about costs and why procedures are necessary and if there are alternatives.
Remember the names of these dentists, they have been involved in Fraudulent Medicaid Billing and Performing Unnecessary Dental Procedures on Children, likely strapping them down in restraints for hours at a time in a papoose board, traumatizing children and abusing them, all for the love of money and greed!
BEWARE of These Dentists:
Dr. Michael DeRose
Dr. Letitia Ballance
Dr. John Lyons
Dr. Jeffery Zieziula
Dr. Erron Brady
Dr. Lori Petree
Dr. Christopher Ballinger
Dr. Heather Berkheimer
Dr. Michelle Wilkerson
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Ocean Dental - Dr. Chad Hoecker-Another Medicaid Dental Chain
At the regular February 2008 meeting of the Board Of Dentistry State Of Oklahoma the board considered the following :
14. Consideration and possible action to initiate investigation, adopt Statement of Complaint, and
schedule hearing involving CHAD BRANDON HOECKER, D.D.S. [RPHoopes/
Newsome]
The next meeting is scheduled for May 16, 2008.
At this time this blogger is unable to find out exactly what the "Statement of Complaint" including but rest assured will continue to investigate this.
Source: Zoom Info Business People Information
Dr. Chad Brandon Hoecker:
Dr. Chad Hoecker is a 1991 graduate of Oklahoma State University, earning a degree in Finance. Following graduation from OSU, Dr. Hoecker successfully operated a real estate and advertising business in Dallas, Texas. A continuing interest in dentistry led Dr. Hoecker back to school to complete his science requirements. Once his requirements were filled, he applied to and was accepted by the Baylor College of Dentistry.
After graduating with his D.D.S. in 1998, Dr. Hoecker opened his fee for service practice in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Shortly following the start of his practice, he recognized there was an unmet need for dental care amongst the lower socioeconomic group in the community. This knowledge and his desire to help led him to open his traditional practice to Medicaid.
Over the next few years Dr. Hoecker used his business/finance background to help him develop a business model focused on Medicaid only clinics. In 2002 he opened his first Medicaid only clinic in Enid, Oklahoma. His second such clinic opened in Oklahoma City in late 2003.
Today his business model has allowed Ocean Dental the opportunity to offer dental services to children in nine different clinics in Oklahoma. Because of Dr. Hoecker's vision, drive, and compassion, Ocean Dental professionals are currently treating thousands of children each year in Oklahoma and will soon open offices outside of the state.
The current COO of Ocean Dental is Joe Akin, former director of International Marketing of Stillwater Designs, Stillwater, OK.
The airplane hanger for Ocean Dental's Corporate jet/jets, being built as mentioned in a previous post, is on land leased under the name Stillwater Storage LLC., PO Box 98, Stillwater, Oklahoma, 74076, as seen here.
As of the date of this post there are 25 Ocean Dental Clinics in the following states:
Oklahoma
Ohio
Arkansas
Iowa
Kentucky
Indiana
Texas
There just seems to be a whole lot of Medicaid dollars, federal and state distributed, to keep so many of these clinics in business; Small Smiles, Kool Smiles, Medicaid Dental Center, Smile Starters, Ocean Dental to name a few.
Evidently there is some serious money to be made abusing our children , (with unnecessary dental work, and strapping the children down in papoose boards) and milking the medicaid system via dental treatment in the guise of treating the needy.
It sickens me beyond belief that these corporations represent themselves as loving, caring and wanting to really help our under underprivileged children.
As I see it these Dental Chains are frauds on many levels.
Labels/Tags:
Dr. Chad Hoecker,
Ocean Dental Corporation
Medicaid Dental Center aka Smile Starters Pays $10 Million For Medicaid Fraud
by: Mark Boone
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The owners of a chain of dental clinics, with offices in Charlotte, will pay more than $10 million in response to a federal investigation into alleged Medicaid fraud, the U.S. Attorney’s office said Wednesday.The owners of the company formerly known as Medicaid Dental Center did not admit to any wrongdoing as part of the settlement, said attorney James Wyatt.As first reported in a WCNC investigation, some parents complained they took their children to the Medicaid Dental Centers on Freedom Drive and N. Tryon Street for what they believed to be routine visits.The Charlotte offices are now operating under the name ‘Smile Starters.’Wyatt said the clinics are under new management.Christy Dillbeck, a west Charlotte mother, said she was asked to wait in the lobby of a Medicaid Dental Center as a dentist placed her then-four-year-old son on a papoose board, a device used to restrain children.The dentist then drilled into 16 of her son’s baby teeth and installed steel caps, without her knowledge, she said.“That’s a lot, a lot of work,” Dillbeck said. “And to imagine all of the children that had to go through what my son went through, it breaks my heart to even think of it.”At least six other families contacted WCNC with similar allegations.In a statement issued Wednesday morning, U.S. Attorney Gretchen Shappert said Medicaid Dental Center performed “baby root canals,” which were not medically necessary.The procedures were performed between 2001 and 2003, Shappert said.“The dentists subjected their child patients to invasive and sometimes painful procedures, often for the sake of obtaining money from the North Carolina Medicaid program,” said Jeffrey Bucholtz, an N.C. Assistant Attorney General.Dentists Letitia Ballance and Michael DeRose are named in the government settlement as co-owners of the Medicaid Dental Center.Wyatt, who has represented Ballance and DeRose in both federal and state inquiries, said they are no longer working as dentists in Charlotte and are in the process of selling their North Carolina dental practice.Federal authorities said Medicaid Dental Center and its owners will reimburse the government at least $5 million for the allegedly false claims and another $5 million in fines.A portion of the settlement amount will be distributed to the N.C. Education Fund.None of the settlement money will go to the parents of the children who underwent the treatment, said attorney Darren Dawson, who represents five families which are considering a lawsuit against the company formerly known as Medicaid Dental Center.
Wyatt says the clinics are under "New Management".
This blogger wants to know exactly "who" or "what company" is doing all this new management?
An educated guess would say FORBA, but this blogger has not confirmed this at all. But it is clear that Dr. Michael DeRose sold (so he says) to FORBA, and it is clearly reported that Dr. William A. Mueller, Dr. DeRoses' cohort, is associated with FORBA Dental Management, more on this below.
This same type of practice by the DeRose's and Medicaid Dental Centers and the various other names that were used, was in play as far back as 2004 in Colorado. see here.
According to various reports the DeRose's sold their interest in the Colorado dental clinics to FORBA Dental Management in 2006. Either the DeRose's and Forba are in cahoots together or Dr. Micheal DeRose and his clan just moved to another state and opened the same type of Medicaid Scam dental clinics in North Carolina.
Dr. William A. Mueller, at least at one time was in with Dr. Michael DeRose and we know that Dr. William A. Mueller and FORBA are in bed together, see here.
It's clear there is a connection between all of these dental chains. As reported in this blog in a prior post, Dr. Michael DeRose owned and operated one clinic that went under the name, Smile High in Denver that was part of the entire dental clinic chained owned by Mueller and DeRose.
From documents at the Kansas Dental Board, Dr. Michael DeRose, DDS had been sanctioned in North Carolina in December 2005.
In Sept. 2006, the Kansas Dental Board took action to enforce the North Carolina Order and another hearing is set for December 2008 to see that all conditions of his probation are met. North Carolina ordered him to show and demonstrate the use of a papoose board prior to strapping any child in one.
We also know Dr. Mueller in prior years had been sanctioned by the Tennessee Dental Board, yet in the end we find him in bed with FORBA headquarted in Nashville, Tennessee.
Dr. William A. Mueller has also been sanctioned by Oklahoma's State Dental Board. See here.
This blogger also discovered that Dr. Tu Tran, is one of the founders of Kool Smiles as reported on Kool Smiles website. see here, was the lead dentist at.... are you ready..... Smile High Dental Clinic in Denver, co-owned by Dr. Michael DeRose and Dr. William A.Mueller.
By the way, Dr. William A. Mueller it is reported here that:
This blogger wants to know exactly "who" or "what company" is doing all this new management?
An educated guess would say FORBA, but this blogger has not confirmed this at all. But it is clear that Dr. Michael DeRose sold (so he says) to FORBA, and it is clearly reported that Dr. William A. Mueller, Dr. DeRoses' cohort, is associated with FORBA Dental Management, more on this below.
This same type of practice by the DeRose's and Medicaid Dental Centers and the various other names that were used, was in play as far back as 2004 in Colorado. see here.
According to various reports the DeRose's sold their interest in the Colorado dental clinics to FORBA Dental Management in 2006. Either the DeRose's and Forba are in cahoots together or Dr. Micheal DeRose and his clan just moved to another state and opened the same type of Medicaid Scam dental clinics in North Carolina.
Dr. William A. Mueller, at least at one time was in with Dr. Michael DeRose and we know that Dr. William A. Mueller and FORBA are in bed together, see here.
It's clear there is a connection between all of these dental chains. As reported in this blog in a prior post, Dr. Michael DeRose owned and operated one clinic that went under the name, Smile High in Denver that was part of the entire dental clinic chained owned by Mueller and DeRose.
From documents at the Kansas Dental Board, Dr. Michael DeRose, DDS had been sanctioned in North Carolina in December 2005.
In Sept. 2006, the Kansas Dental Board took action to enforce the North Carolina Order and another hearing is set for December 2008 to see that all conditions of his probation are met. North Carolina ordered him to show and demonstrate the use of a papoose board prior to strapping any child in one.
We also know Dr. Mueller in prior years had been sanctioned by the Tennessee Dental Board, yet in the end we find him in bed with FORBA headquarted in Nashville, Tennessee.
Dr. William A. Mueller has also been sanctioned by Oklahoma's State Dental Board. See here.
This blogger also discovered that Dr. Tu Tran, is one of the founders of Kool Smiles as reported on Kool Smiles website. see here, was the lead dentist at.... are you ready..... Smile High Dental Clinic in Denver, co-owned by Dr. Michael DeRose and Dr. William A.Mueller.
By the way, Dr. William A. Mueller it is reported here that:
Dr. Mueller was charged with gross malpractice for over-using papoose boards on children in his clinic in Memphis Tennessee.
But the Tennessee Dental Board dropped those charges against him.
However, the board voted to reprimand Mueller for false and misleading advertising in his clinic there.
When googling Dr. William A. Meuller, DMD or DDS you will find several listed, but the two that stood out to me was "Chief Of Dentistry" at the Children's Hospital in Denver, and another address at St. Jude's Children's Hospital in Memphis. There is also a review of some children toothbrushes called Kindertools, where a one Dr. William A. Mueller, DDS reviewed the product and listed himself as being: Chief of Dentistry, University Of Colorado Health Science Center. see here.
There is a clear connection between all of these Dental Clinic's.
Dr. Michael DeRose, Dr. William A. Mueller, Dr. Tu Tran - Smile High Dental Clinic
Dr. Tu Tran goes to - Kool Smiles
Dr. William Mueller - FORBA - Small Smiles
Dr. Michael DeRose - Medicaid Dental Center
One would think that Drs. DeRose and Mueller would have learned their lesson about abusing children and the medicaid system since they actually were named in connection with the death of 4 year old Jonathan Barrera in Arizona at one of their co-owned dental clinics.
The Dental Clinics and Dr. Michael DeRose were being investigated as to their practices in treating children and all the vast amount of money they were raking in as far back and 2003. see here.
Here is what Medicaid Dental Center had to say in 2003.
All of this is right on the heals of FORBA Small Smiles questionable practices in Kansas.
Dr. Michael DeRose and Letitia Ballance also have clinics under the name of Carolina Dental Center.
Labels/Tags:
DeRose,
Medicaid Dental Center,
Medicaid Fraud,
papoose board
Monday, April 07, 2008
Very Graphic Interview -Children Leave Dentist Office With Extreme Bruising
WARNING:
This video is extremely graphic and may be very disturbing!
Click Here To See Video
Sorry, the video has been removed.
These Clinics were owned/are by Dr. Michael DeRose and Dr. William Mueller.
A child died being treated by Dr. Matthew C. Nolen, trained at clinic owned by Dr. William Mueller.
Dr. Ed DeRose owned the one clinic named "Smile High Dentistry"
According to public records, Dr. Tu Tran from "Smile High Dentistry" in Colorado moved on to become Chief Dentist for Kool Smiles.
This video is extremely graphic and may be very disturbing!
Click Here To See Video
Sorry, the video has been removed.
These Clinics were owned/are by Dr. Michael DeRose and Dr. William Mueller.
A child died being treated by Dr. Matthew C. Nolen, trained at clinic owned by Dr. William Mueller.
Dr. Ed DeRose owned the one clinic named "Smile High Dentistry"
According to public records, Dr. Tu Tran from "Smile High Dentistry" in Colorado moved on to become Chief Dentist for Kool Smiles.