DeRose Companies, LLC was formed by Mark DeRose and operates under the name of ServiceStar Development Company. See Here and Here
Sunday, June 08, 2008
DeRose Family Federal Champaign Contributions
According to Newsmeat.com the DeRose family spread the contributions around but one stuck out in particular to me, that was Sen. Ken Salazar.
Out of all the federal campaign contributions listed for some reason the ones to Sen. Ken Salazar struck me as a bit odd. In most the other contributions they always donate to the republican party, however that's not the case with Sen. Ken Salazar.
See the list here
Sen. Salazar is on the Senate Committee on Finance:
...which has jurisdiction over tax policy (including the IRS), Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, customs, trade agreements, general revenue sharing, and tariffs and import quotas. Senator Salazar is a member of the following subcommittees:
Out of all the federal campaign contributions listed for some reason the ones to Sen. Ken Salazar struck me as a bit odd. In most the other contributions they always donate to the republican party, however that's not the case with Sen. Ken Salazar.
See the list here
Sen. Salazar is on the Senate Committee on Finance:
...which has jurisdiction over tax policy (including the IRS), Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, customs, trade agreements, general revenue sharing, and tariffs and import quotas. Senator Salazar is a member of the following subcommittees:
- Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure
- Health Care
- Taxation, IRS Oversight, and Long-Term Growth
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Forba Hires Donna Gilley. Now this is either to help them defraud more efficiently or help them hide what they've done a bit quicker. What is th
FORBA Dental Management Recruits Top Regulatory Expert as Chief Compliance Officer
Donna Gilley to lead regulatory complianceat nation’s largest dental practice management company focused on Medicaid and SCHIP Children
August 15, 2008 - Nashville, TN – FORBA, the nation’s largest dental practice management company focused on high-quality [laughable]dental care for underserved communities, today announced that Donna Gilley has joined the company as Chief Compliance Officer.
Gilley will report directly to Michael Lindley, FORBA’s Chairman and CEO, and will lead initiatives designed to ensure that FORBA-managed dental centers continue to comply with applicable federal and state laws and regulations, and cooperate with the agencies overseeing dental care for low-income children. [continue to comply...?? Oh dear God! They only want to see if there are other ways to screw the system!]
“FORBA’s mission includes a pledge to make certain that the centers we manage act as effective stewards of the public resources committed to children’s dental health,” said Lindley.
[Bull!]
“We have asked Ms. Gilley to lead our compliance unit and use her considerable experience and skills to ensure that FORBA-managed dental centers continue to meet and exceed applicable federal and state standards and provide high-quality care.”
[ I hope Ms. Gilley is ready to call her career quits, because not a soul I know so far has ever come to Forba or any of it's dental clinic and been able to leave with much of a career, most try to hide the damn fact they ever worked there for heavens sake!]
[Now they have a papoose board expert and a compliance expert on board, I can see they are gearing up for even more abuse and fraud]
Gilley, who holds multiple certifications in healthcare compliance, joins FORBA from LBMC Health Group, LLC, a Nashville-based consulting firm that has managed administrative, financial and compliance initiatives for major hospitals, healthcare systems and providers in Tennessee and across the southeastern United States. With more than 15 years of industry experience, her expertise includes Medicare, Medicaid and managed care regulatory compliance, payment methodologies and guidelines. She has also handled external compliance for multi-hospital, multi-state systems on matters related to HIPAA and other healthcare regulations, and is experienced in risk assessment, auditing, statistical sampling and other healthcare regulatory compliance activities.
Gilley has also held positions with TN Healthcare Solutions, Saint Thomas Health Services, and Columbia/HCA. She is a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the American Health Lawyers Association, the Nashville Health Care Council; and is Co-Chair of the Health Care Compliance Association Southeast Planning Committee.
“I am excited about the opportunity to join a healthcare company that is serving the public interest,” said Gilley, “and I am proud to be part of a team that is working hard to help children from low-income families.”
[Woman you need to see a shrink!]
Donna Gilley to lead regulatory complianceat nation’s largest dental practice management company focused on Medicaid and SCHIP Children
August 15, 2008 - Nashville, TN – FORBA, the nation’s largest dental practice management company focused on high-quality [laughable]dental care for underserved communities, today announced that Donna Gilley has joined the company as Chief Compliance Officer.
Gilley will report directly to Michael Lindley, FORBA’s Chairman and CEO, and will lead initiatives designed to ensure that FORBA-managed dental centers continue to comply with applicable federal and state laws and regulations, and cooperate with the agencies overseeing dental care for low-income children. [continue to comply...?? Oh dear God! They only want to see if there are other ways to screw the system!]
“FORBA’s mission includes a pledge to make certain that the centers we manage act as effective stewards of the public resources committed to children’s dental health,” said Lindley.
[Bull!]
“We have asked Ms. Gilley to lead our compliance unit and use her considerable experience and skills to ensure that FORBA-managed dental centers continue to meet and exceed applicable federal and state standards and provide high-quality care.”
[ I hope Ms. Gilley is ready to call her career quits, because not a soul I know so far has ever come to Forba or any of it's dental clinic and been able to leave with much of a career, most try to hide the damn fact they ever worked there for heavens sake!]
[Now they have a papoose board expert and a compliance expert on board, I can see they are gearing up for even more abuse and fraud]
Gilley, who holds multiple certifications in healthcare compliance, joins FORBA from LBMC Health Group, LLC, a Nashville-based consulting firm that has managed administrative, financial and compliance initiatives for major hospitals, healthcare systems and providers in Tennessee and across the southeastern United States. With more than 15 years of industry experience, her expertise includes Medicare, Medicaid and managed care regulatory compliance, payment methodologies and guidelines. She has also handled external compliance for multi-hospital, multi-state systems on matters related to HIPAA and other healthcare regulations, and is experienced in risk assessment, auditing, statistical sampling and other healthcare regulatory compliance activities.
Gilley has also held positions with TN Healthcare Solutions, Saint Thomas Health Services, and Columbia/HCA. She is a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the American Health Lawyers Association, the Nashville Health Care Council; and is Co-Chair of the Health Care Compliance Association Southeast Planning Committee.
“I am excited about the opportunity to join a healthcare company that is serving the public interest,” said Gilley, “and I am proud to be part of a team that is working hard to help children from low-income families.”
[Woman you need to see a shrink!]
FORBA PR Machine At Work
After watching boards across the Internet for the last few days I can see FORBA-Small Smiles-DeRose have put the big PR firms to work but they are gaining little ground.
I swear I think they have actually hired people to spend their days getting out and making positive posts or try to find fault in what parents are finally speaking about.
The most common posts are:
1. We are trying to hire compassionate and quality staff. (How long does it take, they said that three years ago, two years ago, and last fall) They can't change a thing until they change to powers that be, and that hasn't even come close to happening. Those in power in 2000 are still there. It's clearly documented on this site with references that shows the same names of the same good ole boys at the same addresses.
2. It was an isolated incident. Whatever how many thousands of complaints for how long do they consider it to be a bit more than "isolated"
For Heavens Sake, the government set up a Hot Line to report abuse from these places!
Once again I can't stress enough that private dentists are doing this same crap. Be on alert!
3. Just a bad apple in the bunch. A bad APPLE!! Well, yeah! Lots of bad apples. When you set up shop in Pueblo Colorado and send out demon seeds across the country, to plant more diseased trees! Clearly some bad apples, from the bottom of the tree straight to the top!
I swear I think they have actually hired people to spend their days getting out and making positive posts or try to find fault in what parents are finally speaking about.
The most common posts are:
1. We are trying to hire compassionate and quality staff. (How long does it take, they said that three years ago, two years ago, and last fall) They can't change a thing until they change to powers that be, and that hasn't even come close to happening. Those in power in 2000 are still there. It's clearly documented on this site with references that shows the same names of the same good ole boys at the same addresses.
2. It was an isolated incident. Whatever how many thousands of complaints for how long do they consider it to be a bit more than "isolated"
For Heavens Sake, the government set up a Hot Line to report abuse from these places!
Once again I can't stress enough that private dentists are doing this same crap. Be on alert!
3. Just a bad apple in the bunch. A bad APPLE!! Well, yeah! Lots of bad apples. When you set up shop in Pueblo Colorado and send out demon seeds across the country, to plant more diseased trees! Clearly some bad apples, from the bottom of the tree straight to the top!
DeRose, FORBA, Smile High Federal Court Filings
Michael A. DeRose, DDS filed for "Asset Protection" in Federal Bankruptcy Court 4-5-1999
Case number 99-01191
Smile High Dentistry filed Chapter 7 Bankruptcy 7-2-01
Case number 01-19589
There are also various other civil cases in Colorado, New Mexico and one that I found in Texas involving a dispute with DD Marketing vs. Grapevine-Colleyville Schools that was dismissed.
Again, these are just a few I found in a couple of hours of searching, I'm sure there are more, as always with these people.... there is always MORE!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Small Smiles New York, Part 4
Senator Chuck Schumer calls for prosecution of these dentist. Read more below in the report from Albany's CBS channel 6 reporter Steve Flamisch.
1. As a practicing dentist in the Albany area I am both disgusted and yet not surprised at the revelations of goings on at Small Smiles. Dentistry is an art as well as a science. It is also a business. It is very expensive to provide good quality care. Typical overhead costs at a private dental office can be has high as 65-75%. Dentists who practice in such an environment, usually see one patient at a time, or devote a substantial amount of a patient's appointment time in direct care. Dental clinics, often advertise fast appointments, no appointments necessary, reduced fees, dentures in a day...I could go on and on. Bottom line, a typical dental clinic survives by producing as much dentistry as they can as fast as they can. In such an environment, something has to give. Sadly, in many instances
production, production is key to the success of said clinic. Production equals dollars and these dollars can be found either because the dentistry needed is really there or it can be "created" in order to meet production goals of both the individual associate working at the clinic or the clinic as a whole. Sadly, medicaid reimbursements for dental care in
NY State lag so far behind what it realistically costs today to provide said care that some providers "create" dentistry to be done. It appears that this is the case with Small Smiles. The big picture solution to this dilemma is to 1. bring realistic medicaid fee schedules to allow a dental procedure to stand on it's own, i.e. it is profitable for the dentist to provide 2. provide a better watch dog system to oversee that the care is being rendered is, in fact indicated and not simply created. There are dental clinics that operate profitably, ethically and in the best interests of their patients. Sadly, there are too many that don't and as a result the Dental Profession suffers and the general public becomes disenchanted with all the good things that modern dentistry can provide, ultimately hurting the very goal we devoted dental professionals hope to achieve...healthy teeth for a lifetime.
2. I am a mother of four kids and 2 of my 4 sons were going to Small Smiles. For all the time they were attending there I never was allowed in the back till one day when I did go there I seen a family member who said she goes and watches through there glass windows. I said you can do that she said,"NO, but I do". I had no idea these things were going on there. In March he needed a filling for a cavity on a tooth that holds one of his braces and when I took him there he was scared because he was told at the prior appointment that he might need a root canal if the cavity was to deep. First off they had no idea how far the cavity was because you can not take x-rays with braces because all you end up seeing is metal reflections in the pictures. At his March appointment I ended up going back in the room for the first time and I watched and observed things I did not like and realized HEY THAT IS NOT RIGHT. I watched this employee take the tweezers to open all the jars on the counter to get the supplies and then whip off the tweezer with a dry gauze pad. He placed it in the drawer and proceeded to get supplies He pulled out other metals instruments and they were not wrapped like most dentist have them. They asked which flavor gas mask my son wanted and he said a flavor and the Doctor said OH there is a Orange one use that one since it is out. My son did not want that flavor. The doctor proceeded to do his numbing using a needle which now makes me wonder was that clean. He said to my son this will pinch a little. They had him hooked up to the heart rate monitor and I watch as hmy son was scared his heart rate rise but not over 200 or anything. He began to tear up cause the doctor was using a longer needle than he used before according to my son. With braces I know he is already a sensitive person. I told him to hold still as it is almost done. The doctor sat and waited for the meds to kick in during that time noit once did he wash his hands in my sight. He had no gloves on and was wiping his nose and the put on gl;oves never washed his hands or wrists before putting the gloves on. The doctor proceeded with the the work and was drilling and drilling. My son tensed up and started to cry I stood up to hold on to my son and all the doctor kept saying was just a little more just a little more. I have no idea if he needed to drill as deep as he did as he had no xrays to go by. His assistant in the room was a male who acted like a female and had his hands and arm over my sons stomach and kept saying hold on sweetie or hold on baby. My son was uncomfortable at that point also. The time he spent drilling was almost 30 minutes and my son had a red face which was from the tight mask band and crying never allowed him take a rest in between the crying and being upset. When we finally were done he was sore and puffy around his cheeks and lips and very red from crying. When we were going to our car my son said,"MOM was that guy gay because I felt funny when he kept saying what he said to me." He had a hard time eating for 2 days after and remained sore. After this appointment it was less than 2 weeks when wrgb first aired about the story which made me realize that my son was treated like that also. I called my cousin and told her about the news and said "My sons will not be going there every again." I am sorry I put my kids through the HELL they did and I hope they will be able to not be afraid of another dentist again.
3. I am a father of three children that have been patients of Small Smiles and my youngest son which is 4 now but when he was 1 i took him there the dentist capped his four front teeth and when they spoke to me they never told me that they were going to have to cut his upper gums to cap his teeth they told me they can save the teeth by capping them but what happened was the caps rotted his teeth and some fell out and every time they fell out i called there and they told me to come in and they can reglue them back in. My other son that is 11 was taking there and they put crowns on his 2 back teeth and when i asked why they told me it was so they would not get cavities in them. When my youngest son went to the dentist for fillings they put silver filling when i was told they were going to use white and where they get the fillings from the plastic draw on the counter it is wide open the fillings are not covered. When my daughter got work done they numbed her but she still felt it and when she told them it still hurts they continued to finish with out renumbing her. I never recieved a invoice of any type just anoter appointment card.I believe the reason they give the children goodie bags after each appointment is so the childern try to forget what they have done to them. But this is something that a child will never forget. I don't think it is right that when you want to go in with your child and they tell you that you can only if you think your child is going to fight with them doing the work. My youngest son was there and i don't think it was nessary that the restraint blanket was used for him at that time it only scared him more. He came out and told me that he doesn't like it there anymore. Thank you CBS6 for letting all parents know the pain that there children are going through behind closed doors.
Small Smiles, the children's dentistry clinic accused of mistreating its young patients in the pursuit of profit, lost its core patient base on Saturday.
The New York State Office of the Medicaid Inspector General terminated the Colonie clinic from the Medicaid program, eliminating its federal funding.
"I'm glad they're terminating Small Smiles," said U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), a staunch critic of the company. "They don't deserve to be in business and certainly not get any federal money."
On April 1, CBS 6 News first reported the allegations of two former Small Smiles employees who claimed the dentists rush through procedures and perform unnecessary work in hopes of earning "production bonuses."Reader Comments:
The company flatly denied the allegations, calling the report "a striking piece of substandard journalism." In the weeks that followed, however, more than 100 parents called or emailed CBS 6 to share their own Small Smiles horror stories.
The most common allegations included:
-Children receiving as many as eight crowns in a single sitting (all baby teeth)
-Work performed without the use of Novocain or any other numbing agent
-Dentists rushing through procedures, causing children to vomit and urinate themselves
-Children placed in a "papoose" restraint, regardless of whether it was needed
-Parents denied the option of sitting with their children during procedures
-Dirty instruments wiped-off and placed back in the drawer
Sen. Schumer, who has seen news reports documenting similar allegations against Small Smiles clinics in Denver, Rochester, and Washington D.C., bristled at the claims.
"They ought to prosecute some of the people who did this," he said via satellite from Capitol Hill. "This goes beyond a mistake. This is hurting our children and ripping off the federal government...and I think there ought to be a criminal investigation of this."
State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has the power to bring criminal charges against Small Smiles, and a trusted source confirmed that Cuomo's office is investigating.
In addition, the New York State Education Department, which licenses the dentists, has filed a subpoena requesting all of the information CBS 6 uncovered. The station is cooperating.
COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS
Though Small Smiles has now been stripped of its federal funding, Sen. Schumer said there are still safe and reliable alternatives for Medicaid parents: community health centers.
"Our community health centers have a good record," he said. "They're not like this company, they're on the up-and-up, and they often provide the best dental care for the kids who don't have any other way to get dental care."
There are three community health centers in the Capital Region:
Hometown Health
1044 State Street, Schenectady
518.374.8464
Whitney M. Young Jr. Health Services
920 Lark Drive, Albany
518.465.4771
Whitney M. Young Jr. Health Services
6 102nd Street, Troy
518.833.6900
1. As a practicing dentist in the Albany area I am both disgusted and yet not surprised at the revelations of goings on at Small Smiles. Dentistry is an art as well as a science. It is also a business. It is very expensive to provide good quality care. Typical overhead costs at a private dental office can be has high as 65-75%. Dentists who practice in such an environment, usually see one patient at a time, or devote a substantial amount of a patient's appointment time in direct care. Dental clinics, often advertise fast appointments, no appointments necessary, reduced fees, dentures in a day...I could go on and on. Bottom line, a typical dental clinic survives by producing as much dentistry as they can as fast as they can. In such an environment, something has to give. Sadly, in many instances
production, production is key to the success of said clinic. Production equals dollars and these dollars can be found either because the dentistry needed is really there or it can be "created" in order to meet production goals of both the individual associate working at the clinic or the clinic as a whole. Sadly, medicaid reimbursements for dental care in
NY State lag so far behind what it realistically costs today to provide said care that some providers "create" dentistry to be done. It appears that this is the case with Small Smiles. The big picture solution to this dilemma is to 1. bring realistic medicaid fee schedules to allow a dental procedure to stand on it's own, i.e. it is profitable for the dentist to provide 2. provide a better watch dog system to oversee that the care is being rendered is, in fact indicated and not simply created. There are dental clinics that operate profitably, ethically and in the best interests of their patients. Sadly, there are too many that don't and as a result the Dental Profession suffers and the general public becomes disenchanted with all the good things that modern dentistry can provide, ultimately hurting the very goal we devoted dental professionals hope to achieve...healthy teeth for a lifetime.
2. I am a mother of four kids and 2 of my 4 sons were going to Small Smiles. For all the time they were attending there I never was allowed in the back till one day when I did go there I seen a family member who said she goes and watches through there glass windows. I said you can do that she said,"NO, but I do". I had no idea these things were going on there. In March he needed a filling for a cavity on a tooth that holds one of his braces and when I took him there he was scared because he was told at the prior appointment that he might need a root canal if the cavity was to deep. First off they had no idea how far the cavity was because you can not take x-rays with braces because all you end up seeing is metal reflections in the pictures. At his March appointment I ended up going back in the room for the first time and I watched and observed things I did not like and realized HEY THAT IS NOT RIGHT. I watched this employee take the tweezers to open all the jars on the counter to get the supplies and then whip off the tweezer with a dry gauze pad. He placed it in the drawer and proceeded to get supplies He pulled out other metals instruments and they were not wrapped like most dentist have them. They asked which flavor gas mask my son wanted and he said a flavor and the Doctor said OH there is a Orange one use that one since it is out. My son did not want that flavor. The doctor proceeded to do his numbing using a needle which now makes me wonder was that clean. He said to my son this will pinch a little. They had him hooked up to the heart rate monitor and I watch as hmy son was scared his heart rate rise but not over 200 or anything. He began to tear up cause the doctor was using a longer needle than he used before according to my son. With braces I know he is already a sensitive person. I told him to hold still as it is almost done. The doctor sat and waited for the meds to kick in during that time noit once did he wash his hands in my sight. He had no gloves on and was wiping his nose and the put on gl;oves never washed his hands or wrists before putting the gloves on. The doctor proceeded with the the work and was drilling and drilling. My son tensed up and started to cry I stood up to hold on to my son and all the doctor kept saying was just a little more just a little more. I have no idea if he needed to drill as deep as he did as he had no xrays to go by. His assistant in the room was a male who acted like a female and had his hands and arm over my sons stomach and kept saying hold on sweetie or hold on baby. My son was uncomfortable at that point also. The time he spent drilling was almost 30 minutes and my son had a red face which was from the tight mask band and crying never allowed him take a rest in between the crying and being upset. When we finally were done he was sore and puffy around his cheeks and lips and very red from crying. When we were going to our car my son said,"MOM was that guy gay because I felt funny when he kept saying what he said to me." He had a hard time eating for 2 days after and remained sore. After this appointment it was less than 2 weeks when wrgb first aired about the story which made me realize that my son was treated like that also. I called my cousin and told her about the news and said "My sons will not be going there every again." I am sorry I put my kids through the HELL they did and I hope they will be able to not be afraid of another dentist again.
3. I am a father of three children that have been patients of Small Smiles and my youngest son which is 4 now but when he was 1 i took him there the dentist capped his four front teeth and when they spoke to me they never told me that they were going to have to cut his upper gums to cap his teeth they told me they can save the teeth by capping them but what happened was the caps rotted his teeth and some fell out and every time they fell out i called there and they told me to come in and they can reglue them back in. My other son that is 11 was taking there and they put crowns on his 2 back teeth and when i asked why they told me it was so they would not get cavities in them. When my youngest son went to the dentist for fillings they put silver filling when i was told they were going to use white and where they get the fillings from the plastic draw on the counter it is wide open the fillings are not covered. When my daughter got work done they numbed her but she still felt it and when she told them it still hurts they continued to finish with out renumbing her. I never recieved a invoice of any type just anoter appointment card.I believe the reason they give the children goodie bags after each appointment is so the childern try to forget what they have done to them. But this is something that a child will never forget. I don't think it is right that when you want to go in with your child and they tell you that you can only if you think your child is going to fight with them doing the work. My youngest son was there and i don't think it was nessary that the restraint blanket was used for him at that time it only scared him more. He came out and told me that he doesn't like it there anymore. Thank you CBS6 for letting all parents know the pain that there children are going through behind closed doors.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Your Tax Dollars Are Paying Dentist To Torture Our Children
That's right, your tax dollars are paying for these ruthless dentists to use straight jackets to abuse our children for non-emergency dental care.
In May of 2004 9NEWS Investigative Reporter Deborah Sherman began a series of reports on the treatment of children at a chain of dental clinics in Colorado and across the country. These reports have lead to changes in Colorado state law and prompted investigations in a half-a-dozen states.
In the first part of her investigation called "Papoose Boards" that aired on April 29, 2004, Investigative Reporter Deborah Sherman reported that some parents filed police reports after their children left dentist offices with scrapes and bruises.
These are the same clinics that 9NEWS reported had been hiring dentists not licensed in Colorado to work on some of the state's poorest children.
Children like Adrian and his brother Daniel, Dakota and her brother Chris, Cecilia , Alexis and Angelica.
All of their parents say the children were traumatized by a trip to the dentist.
"She actually threw up on me," said Tamera Elliott, mother of 2-year-old Cecilia. "She was just terrified of going back there."
Lucia Nevarez said her son Alexis, "went in crying and came out crying."
The moms took their kids to the "Medicaid Dental Clinic" in Aurora or "Children's Dental Clinic" in Thornton. That's where Catherine Richardson says both of her kids left with bruises.
"It was about the size of a half dollar," Richardson said as she pointed to the spot above her 2-year-old daughter's eye.
Richardson says Dakota was bruised on her head. She says her five-year-old son Chris had a bruise on his wrist when his arms were tied down in the dentist's chair.
9NEWS learned the children were put in restraint devices called papoose boards; unable to move their arms, legs and heads while dentists worked on or cleaned their teeth.
Some of the children were restrained for more than an hour.
Beatrice Ponce says her two boys came out very scared.
"Their mouths were swollen from all the work and full of blisters. Their foreheads blistered up and peeled."
The moms say they were told the clinic might use restraints on their kids and they might get red marks.
But the moms say they didn't realize the extent of what was going on because they weren't allowed in the exam room.
"What goes on back there?" asked Catherine Richardson.
"It scares me, you know? These are my babies and nobody can go back there with them."
The Aurora and Thornton clinics were co-owned by Drs. William Mueller of Denver and Michael Derose, DDS (Kansas Disciplinary Action Against Michael Derose, here) and Ed Derose of Pueblo. [side note: evidently from document at the Kansas Dental Board, 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.)
The Deroses also owned three other dental clinics in Colorado: Smile High Dentistry in Denver, Small Smiles Dentistry in Colorado Springs and Derose Children's Dental Clinic in Pueblo.
Nationwide, the Deroses owned 22 clinics. Dr. Mueller is part-owner in 12 of them. All of the clinics cater to kids on Medicaid.
[All three sold their ownership in the company in 2007].
The Executive Director of Colorado's Medicaid office, the Colorado Deptartment of Health Care Policy and Financing, was astonished at the police photographs of the children that 9NEWS showed her.
"This is really extreme," said Karen Reinerston. "If these injuries were caused by the papoose board, it is not a nice little blanket that you wrap around them and make them feel like a papoose."
Drs. Michael, who had medicaid billing issues in North Carolina in 2005, and Ed Derose and Dr. William Mueller would not talk to 9NEWS on camera. But in an audio-taped interview, Mueller says they use papoose boards to protect children. "They're used so the children won't make a movement in an inopportune time and hurt themselves or cut themselves," said Mueller.
But at a clinic in Phoenix, Arizona, which is co-owned by Dr. Mueller and the Deroses, 4-year-old Jonathan Barrera died from an overdose of anesthetic while strapped to a papoose board.
The Arizona Dental Examiners Board investigated the dentist responsible, Dr. Matthew C. Nolen, saying the restraints "could have masked the signs of respiratory distress...or signs of the child going into convulsions."
Before he began working at the Arizona clinic, Nolen trained at the Medicaid Dental Clinic in Aurora, Colorado.
Nolen testified before the Arizona Dental Examiner's Board. He admitted that most parents did not know about an unwritten policy at the Arizona clinic to restrain every child under the age of 5.
A Board member asked Dr. Nolen "Is the papoose board common in your practice?" Dr. Nolen replied, "Very common."
(The report was clear that Dr. Matthew Nolen's treatment was below an acceptable standard of care. They also found that Dr. Mathew Nolen was less than truthful with his informal testimony. (no surprise there) Paragraph 39 of the report issued by the AZ State Medical Board, states: "Dr. Nolen testified at an informal interview that it was routine clinic policy to place children under five years of age in a papoose board." They also found "there was no credible evidence that Dr. Matthew C. Nolen and tried any other form of behavioral management techniques prior to restraining the child."(paragraph 51. Dr. Nolen was hired and went to Colorado for training before he started treating patients at the Arizona Small Smiles clinics.)*
"Routine?" the Board member asked. "Pretty routine for children," said Dr. Nolen, "under the age of five."
Last April, the Arizona Dental Board revoked Nolen's license. One of its findings: that Nolen had used the papoose board on Jonathan because it was convenient; not because he had been misbehaving.
9NEWS has also learned Dr. Mueller was charged two months ago with gross malpractice at his clinic in Tennessee for "routinely and arbitrarily immobilizing kids up to 3-years-old on papoose boards, without justification, for longer than an hour for routine dental work".
Dr. Mueller denies his clinics have a blanket policy to use restraints.
Still, Colorado Dental Examiners Board is now investigating why they were used on these kids.
Jason Hopfer, of the Colorado Dept. of Regulatory agencies said, "If they're doing it simply because it's convenient, that is a concern."
9NEWS talked to an expert, Pediatric Dentist Dr. Bradley Smith, spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry in Colorado.
Smith says he rarely uses papoose boards in emergencies. "If a child comes in and they've fallen or broken their tooth or cut their lip or had some major oral trauma and we have to do treatment that day and we have no choice at all," said Smith.
Smith also prefers to have parents in the exam room with him while he works. "I want to be able to talk to the parent, I want them to see what I'm doing," said Smith.
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the Colorado Dental Examiners Board have policies that say restraints should be used only when absolutely necessary, for uncooperative kids, and should not injure them.
But 9NEWS learned that Medicaid in some states pays extra each time a dentist puts a child in a papoose board.
Drs. Ed and Michael Derose and William Mueller would not tell 9NEWS how often they use papoose boards in each of their respective clinics.
So 9NEWS used open records laws to obtain and analyze state Medicaid bills.
9NEWS learned in all other clinics across the state, dentists use papoose boards, on average, 4 percent of the time.
But at Mueller's 'Medicaid Dental Center' and the Deroses' 'Smile High Dentistry', their dentists put 21 percent of kids in restraints. In the year 2001-2002, those two clinics used papoose boards more than 2,500 times.
The cost to taxpayers for those papoose boards at four of their clinics; $106,473.
Karen Reinerston of the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, thinks that is excessive.
"You shouldn't have to have a kid restrained all the time," she said. "I think it's very scary for the child."
Last year, Reinerston stopped Colorado dentists from charging Medicaid for restraints.
Dr. Mueller sent 9NEWS an e-mail saying he did not personally treat any of the children in the story.
Mueller also said he is not responsible for the care provided by other dentists in his clinics, because they work under contract and practice under their own licenses.
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Matthew "Matt" Chemath Nolen
6400 E Thomas Rd., #3025
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
AZ Dental Lic: D05399
Issued: 5-15-2001
Revoked: 6-30-2004
Something is just not right here. Kentucky suspends 180 dentists licenses for not paying their annual dues, and other states smack very few bad seeds on the wrists for strapping down children and insurance and Medicaid fraud. Don't we need a bit of consistency somewhere? No wonder dentists state hop when they get in deep doo doo in one state.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008Kentucky suspends more than 180 dentists, angers health advocates
By ROGER ALFORD
Associated Press WriterFRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) -- Oral health advocates in Kentucky are fuming over what they call "a bureaucratic nightmare" that led to the temporary suspensions of more than 180 dentists.
The suspensions are especially troublesome in a state that struggles with poor dental health, said Dea Riley, head of the Appalachian Roundtable, an advocacy group for residents of the state's impoverished mountain region.
"There seems to be very little logic in this maneuver," said Riley, who was angered that dentists in some rural coal towns had to close their offices until paperwork was processed to restore their licenses. "They need to be allowing these doctors to practice dentistry, not make it more difficult for them."
Riley said the move by the Kentucky Board of Dentistry wouldn't have been so irksome if Kentucky didn't already rank among the worst states in the nation in toothlessness. A study by the Kentucky Institute of Medicine last year found that 37 percent of Kentucky adults were missing at least six teeth.
Despite those dismal statistics, the dental board ordered the suspensions of dentists who missed a Dec. 31 deadline to submit paperwork and pay a $230 fee. Lisa Turner, the dental board's interim executive director, said 187 practicing dentists were affected. All have since returned to work.
Turner said the problem arose when the dental board changed the way it notified dentists about the need to renew their licenses.
In past years, letters of reminder were mailed to the state's more than 2,300 practicing dentists to remind them that their licenses were set to expire on Dec. 31. Last year, the dental board simply printed a notice in its fall newsletter.
"Apparently a large percentage failed to read the newsletter," Turner said.
Because so many dentists didn't renew their licenses, the dental board decided to send a postcard reminder in December. It, too, went unheeded, she said.
Turner said the problem coincided with a push by the dental board for all dentists to renew their licenses online.
Dr. Scott Browning, a dentist in Vicco in rural eastern Kentucky, said he was surprised to learn in January that his license had been suspended because of the communications breakdown. He said he initially learned about his suspension when he called an oxygen supplier to place an order. He then called the dental board to verify what the supplier had told him.
"They should have a way of contacting the dentists," Browning said. "All it would have taken was a phone call."
Browning had to close his office for a week, postponing all appointments that he could, while frantically trying to get patients suffering from tooth pain into nearby dental clinics.
"That is what was really making me angry," he said. "I couldn't help my people."
Riley said it's little wonder that Kentucky is the butt of jokes about its poor dental health when the state suspends the men and women responsible for caring for teeth.
"This affects our national reputation," she said
Never Leave Your Child With Dr. David Moore, DDS
Remember Dr. David Moore, DDS, the dentist in Charlotte , North Carolina
“I was struggling because everybody was holding me down-my arms and my shoes- so I kept struggling. He put something inside my tooth and started smacking me with gloves on.”
Tyreese’s mother said police were supposed to follow through on the complaint but she never received a follow up report from police.
I guess the police didn’t take the report about a dentist physically abusing a child very seriously back in 2002 and things haven’t changed much. Same with Keily’s mother who found her child was abused by Dr. Mike Kort in Bull Head, Arizona a few months back as reported and updated on this blog. (link)
Then in January 2006 WCNC TV in Charlotte
Dr. Moore, signed a consent order with the North Carolina Dental Board agreeing there were factual basis to the claims against him even though his attorney said he denied all the charges.
Few employees testify against Dr. Moore. However, at least two former employees, Tina Cooper and Meta Parsons talked to WCNC TV saying it was like working for Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde.
Cooper worked in Moore
Both women reported they stayed as long as they did to try and protect the children under their care. Keepers of the child so to speak. Parson’s said her breaking point was when she found Dr. Moore sedating children without her presence and leaving them alone, unmonitored. These children could have died! Never leave your child alone with Dr. Moore!
Cooper left after testifying to the dental board. Both said it was tough for them to leave what they witnessed this doctor do to children behind them after they left his employment.
What ever happened to Dr. Moore, well he’s still in business. Yep, that's right. This dentist can do this, the dental board does little and the police do nothing!
He’s the top dog at Charlotte Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics with 3 locations:
Billingsley Medical Dental Center
411 Billingsley Rd.
Suite 106
Charlotte , NC 28211
(704) 377-3687
Suite 106
(704) 377-3687
Mallard Creek Medical Park
10320 Mallard Creek Rd.
Suite 150
Charlotte , NC 28262
(704) 547-8438
Suite 150
(704) 547-8438
And
7215
Suite G
(704) 545-0390
Dr. Moore has a daughter named Ryan, wonder how he would like to have his daughter treated like he treated other children?
The Dental Board is ready and waiting for more reports of abuse by Dr. David Moore that could lead to further disciplinary actions, so if your child has been abused my Dr. Moore, I urge you to contact the police and the dental board as soon as possible.
Small Smiles Quota is 25 Converstions Per Day
Small Smiles new budget, at least for some states in the south east is at $11.00 per child. In other words they can spend no more than that to get a child's teeth fixed.
Also currently, the "Conversion Rate" for one particular office is now 25 per day. In other words their currently daily quota is to convert at least 25 children from Hygiene (cleaning) to Operatory (drilling for dollars) is 25 children per day.
So for Small Smiles/FORBA to say they are not under any quota would just be an out right lie. They absolutely do have a quota to meet at least in some of the clinics. So if they are running short today, your child just might get more work done that is needed.
Also currently, the "Conversion Rate" for one particular office is now 25 per day. In other words their currently daily quota is to convert at least 25 children from Hygiene (cleaning) to Operatory (drilling for dollars) is 25 children per day.
So for Small Smiles/FORBA to say they are not under any quota would just be an out right lie. They absolutely do have a quota to meet at least in some of the clinics. So if they are running short today, your child just might get more work done that is needed.