New FORBA v. Old FORBA Dismissed; Mountain Dental and more...

Looks like FORBA Holding v. all the DeRose family and several of it's entities have reached an agreement, 'confidential' of course, and the case has been dismissed with prejudice. 

Crap! I was hoping for an all out war between the sleezeballs.  However knowing what I know, I didn't think FORBA Holding had a leg to stand on, but it sure did shed some insight to the corruption among these people.

Stipulation For Dismissal 

I'm thinking that they figure they better bury the hatchet, even if it is in each other's back, and not give any more ammo to the lawsuits that will be coming their way, via the Class Action in Ohio or the suits that I'm confident will come from Moriarty-Leyendecker on behalf of the children they abused.

I'm just doubting even with all these slimballs sticking together they will NOT be able to find a high moral ground no matter how high they stack attorneys or how many nose bleeds they get.  Even now they are breaking off into EEHC, Inc and moving forward.

And...  AND...  there is a Mike Lindley (really..how many Mike Lindley can there be in the corporate dental world..) who is a Director of ...  drum roll please.....

Mountain Dental, Inc.

Mountain Dental is the western division of Dr. Jeffery Moos's Midwest Dental company.

Officers of Mountain Dental are:
Dr. Jeffery Moos -President
James Myer - Secretary

Directors:
Peter Ehrich of Cressey & Company
Mike Lindley
David Schuppan of Cressey & Company

Yes, Cressey & Company have offices in .....drum roll...

Nashville.

FORBA's Arizona Clinic's Not Doing So Well

Today I've been looking into all the dentists who are or have been connected with FORBA clinics.  Although I have a long way to go, Arizona isn't looking very good.  Five (5) of the 12 I've looked at have either been sanctioned or have had complaints against them.

Tuscon's clinic is Children's Dental Clinic of Tucson, LLC and it's licenses for dentistry is F27, issued 11-28-2007

There is a clinic in Phoenix Children's Medicaid Dental Clinic, PC and it's licenses for dentistry is F124.  It's licenses expired almost 2 years ago. 

 Here's the list of dentists who are or have been associated with FORBA clinics in Arizona:

Dr. Robert F. Andrus #7206

Dr. Amy E. Ash #5741-Dr. Ash seems to have decided Small Smiles wasn't for her.  She went back to school to become a 'real' pediatric dentist and went to work for a more reputable clinic.  Clearly she stood back assessed the business and decided the Small Smiles way, wasn't for her.  She became part of the solution, not part of the problem.

Dr. Karen Leung Chu #5608

Dr. Mark T. Kelly #7183

Dr. Douglas Kerr #6332

Dr. Kenneth E. Knott #5318

Dr. Garrett Lum #7004

Dr. Navreet B. Kaur Luthera #6676

Dr. Mardelle R. Petersen #3591

Dr. Quentin L. Shaw #4764  (he's lic is a bit odd, says he was first licensed in 1997, but graduated in 1981.

Roanoke Virginia Small Smiles Report

WDBJ 7 Roanoke, Virginia
February 25, 2010

News7 has discovered a local dental clinic that caters to low-income children was at the center of a national fraud investigation.

The parent company of Small Smiles recently agreed to a $24 million settlement regarding those allegations.

A former Roanoke Small Smiles employee triggered the national investigation. This employee was one of three whistleblowers that lead to a two-year investigation.

Jan Broetsky believes her son, Stephen, may have been one of the victims.

She was surprised what a Small Smiles dentist recommended for her five-year-old son during a visit in September.

"They told me Stephen had three severe cavities. All three were so severe that they needed root canals and they would also need silver crowns," said Jan.

When Stephen was three-years-old, the same Small Smiles office performed two fillings on him.

"Of course I felt like a bad mom," said Jan.

So, Jan Broetsky decided to get a second opinion just days later from dentist David Bittel, who is not affiliated with Small Smiles. She also brought him Stephen's x-ray from Small Smiles.

"The medicaid was the reason I went to small smiles. For me to get that second opinion cost me 100 plus dollars. But I was just so convinced my son had been intentionally misdiagnosed and it turned out to be true," said Jan

In his report, Dr. Bittel stated, "I see no decay anywhere that can be detected with explore or visually or with dental floss,".

He told News7, he's now been contacted by the Department of Health Professions as part of an investigation into the mother's complaint against Small Smiles.

As far as Stephen's case with the small smiles office in Roanoke, the chief dental officer reviewed his records. He released his findings to News7, which basically agreed with the original diagnosis from Small Smiles.

"There is no doubt in my mind I'm not the only person they are doing this to," said Jan.

The U.S. Attorney for the Western District agrees she is probably not the only parent.

" A lot of cases we documented those procedures were not necessary. Yet they performed them anyway and billed medicaid, "said U.S. Attorney Timothy Heaphy.

Heaphy was involved in the government's investigation of the Small Smiles office in Roanoke and helped negotiate a settlement with the parent company FORBA.

"Children are obviously especially vulnerable. The prospect that children were administered anesthesia that they didn't need or had that invasive dental surgery that was unnecessary, it's shocking and disappointing," said Heaphy.

But Small Smiles Parent company, FORBA has admitted no fault. A statement following the national settlement said, "Despite implications to the contrary in the government's press release, we entered into the recently announced settlement to avoid the delay, uncertainty, inconvenience, and expense of litigation, and did not admit any liability."

FORBA's practices were still concerning to U.S. Attorney Heaphy.

"There were strong incentives in place that the company acknowledged that forced unscrupulous people in facilities like in Roanoke to cheat. To get more of that public money," he said.

As part of the national settlement, Small Smiles' parent company FORBA has to follow some new guidelines. Which includes having a third party monitor its practices.

The government's investigation against individual Small Smile dentists is still ongoing.

We are not sure if that includes any of the dentists from the Roanoke location.

Parents should contact the OIG Hotline to report concerns. For more information click here.

Here are the finding of the Great Dr. Adair after he reviewed the patient's chart, x-ray and consulted with the Roanoke Small Smiles Dentist:

"The cavities on the two upper baby first molars (teeth #B and I) are large and clearly evident on the x-rays. One of them (#B) had been restored previously, and the filling had failed because of the patient's decay rate. Given that failure and the size of the cavities in these small teeth, a stainless steel crown would by an appropriate way to restore these teeth.
"The cavity on the mesial surface (side of tooth facing the front of the mouth) of the lower second baby molar (#K) is smaller, but it is evident on the x-ray as a vertical line in the enamel of that surface, which is adjacent to the baby first molar next to it. This cavity could not be detected without an x-ray. Even though it is small on the x-ray, clinical science tells us that it is larger in the mouth than on the film.
"Given this child's history of decay, and given that other surfaces of #K were also diagnosed with decay, a stainless steel crown would be an appropriate way to restore this tooth. A filling could also be done, but it would have a higher likelihood of failure."

Dr. Steven Adair, Chief Medical Officer

What I always find telling are the comments after the story has run.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lisa Says: Well GOODIE!! I took my granddaughter there2 times & the last time I was there, I felt VERY uncomfortable about their practice. They do the check up & then tell you to initial here, here & sign there but they DON'T tell you what you are initialing or signing. So, being a nosey old woman, I asked them about it & they told me that she needed 2 fillings & to have a front tooth capped. I didn't see the need since she was almost at the age where she will loose her baby teeth, so I took her to another dentist for a second opinion, he found NO CAVITIES, agreed with me that her baby teeth will come out soon, no capping was necessary!
We had already been through he 77 with two other "cavities" she had to have filled. They restrained her, drugged her & it traumatized her against any other dental visits. I am so glad I took her to another dentist!! This place is fleecing the government & making money off of unnecessary procedures!!!
Most parents are just wanting to do the best they can for their kids & have little knowledge about dental process so they just allow the "professional" to advise!! ASK QUESTIONS!!! ASK FOR PROOF!! Yes, it does make a difference!!

Here is a link so you can read all about FORBA's New Practices, but I thought they were great before paying the government $24 million dollars and being forced to sign a Corporate Integrity Agreement, among other things. Guess they really did SUCK!

Comment From A Parent About Kool Smiles in Vancouver, WA

Eryn said...

Thanks for blogging about this. In December, my son was diagnosed with 4 cavities, one in each of his left 4 molars, at a Kool Smiles in our hometown, Vancouver, WA.

I had a gut feeling that it was just wrong, the Dr. treated me horribly, and that basically I had ruined my son's beautiful teeth. They told me he needed 4 stainless steel crowns.

I went to a new private pediatric dental specialist today, who told me there was no cavity in 2 of those teeth, and the other two were absolutely not in need of crowns. There are cavities, but only need one reasonable filling.

I am shocked and appalled. We plan to contact our local news station in Portland Or. Your blog has been helpful to us in confirming our suspicions about this chain.

FORBA's New Branding

There is a new definition for the word FORBA now. Used to be FOR Better Access, now it's all sugar coated as well;

FORBA "For Better Access, For A Better America"

What the heck ever! Nice try guys.

Since you've come up with a new slogan, wanna take the time to comment on EEHC, Inc, or should I?

Moriarty-Leyendecker Stepping Up To Fight For The Children Harmed

Warriors have arrived to take on FORBA and its Small Smiles chain of dental clinics in the form of the law firm Moriarty-Leyendecker . (Jim and Kevin respectively)

I couldn’t be more thankful!! It’s about time there is justice for the children who had to endure the paid from these dental mills.

As we know the states got their reimbursement for the fraudulent billing of FORBA’s Small Smiles dental clinics as did the Fed’s in the $24 million dollar settlement. (I’m thinking it probably cost more than $24 mil to do the 2+ year investigation)

So far, not one child has been compensated for the horrific mental and emotional damage, imagine the humiliation these children have suffered. Nor have they been compensated for the physical damage that may take years to repair, if it can be repaired at all. Much of the damage done will last a lifetime for these children, and there could be up to 300,000 or more of these injured children.

What about the damage done to the trust these children have in their parents to protect them from harm. Will these children ever trust their parents again? What about teachers, policeman and others of authority? At minimum these abused children will find it harder to form long lasting and loving bonds as a matter of course.

It’s likely the child’s brain development has been impaired and certainly interrupted and redirected. The way these children were abused and treated has changed who they were supposed to be, forever! This is undeniable.

__________________________

Jim Moriarty and his partners are no strangers to medicine gone wild. That’s why I’m so elated to see they are standing up and stepping in.

In 1994 Jim Moriarty took on National Medical Enterprises (NME), later known as Tenet Healthcare. This sleaze ball company was, and I quote from the book Coronary: A True Story Of Medicine Gone Awry:

“deceiving parents into allowing their children to be imprisoned in mental institutions where at best they were warehoused and at worst they were subjected to alleged therapies that resembled torture more than treatment”

Sound familiar?

I encourage you to read the excerpt from Coronary: A True Story Of Medicine Gone Awry, by by Stephen Klaidman here.

As with FORBA, NME signed a Corporate Integrity Agreement with the Feds. When the federal fraud case was over NME thought the coast was clear. They were wrong!

Enter Jim Moriarty and “a pack of ex-patients and personal-injury lawyers” Jim is described as, and I again I quote:

“a motormouthed forty-eight-year-old former Marine door gunner in Vietnam. ” (he’s a bit older now, I’m sure)

“Moriarty is not necessarily someone you would like to have on your tail. When he focuses on something — it could be anything from a big, consolidated lawsuit to racing his hopped-up go-cart at 120 miles an hour — it is with the tenacity of a junkyard dog. ”

Jim ran into Tenet Healthcare again when one of it’s hospitals in Redding, California had an usually high rate of heart bypass surgeries. Jim was a bit disappointed the case didn’t go to trial so the story would be told. By settling with the 750 patients for $395 million dollars, Tenent kept the nasty truth off the front page. You can read about this outrageous health care scam online by clicking here: Money Driven Medicine, by Maggie Mahar.

Jim Moriarty and Moriarty-Leyendecker want to hear from you.

Please, contact Jim, Kevin and the crew, tell them your story.

Contact Moriarty-Leyendecker here.

***(BTW, no top management in the NME case went to jail, but others certainly did, something you dentists, hygienists and assistants who work for FORBA and Small Smiles should give a whole lot of thought to-like who is going feed your family when you’re in the clinker? FORBA bobble heads will through you under the bus in a New York minute!)***

Dr. Mark Janosky, Lead Dentist of Small Smiles Myrtle Beacn

And it begins:

MB dentist to offer free children's dental clinics

Posted: Feb 08, 2010 12:51 PM CST Updated: Mar 22, 2010 9:47 AM CDT

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - A Myrtle Beach dental center will be offering free dental screenings in honor of "Healthy Smile, Happy Child Day" on Feb. 10.
The free screenings will be held from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Small Smiles Dental Centers of Myrtle Beach, located at 1317 N. Kings Hwy. Event coordinators say the clinic is in part to raise awareness about the importance of a healthy smile during Children's Dental Health Month in February.
"Tooth decay remains the most common childhood disease," said Dr. Mark Janosky, lead dentist at Small Smiles. "Dental problems in young children can lead to a variety of health and developmental challenges including chronic pain, poor nutrition, distractions from learning and self-esteem issues."
Parents who are interested in scheduling an appointment are asked to call (843) 626-5437.

The Rahm Effect

Once again, FORBA and it's Small Smiles clinics are involved in benefit to aid those less fortunate. Why am I surprised, it's their entire business plan. I see it as preying on those in need or as they like to say, 'underserved'.

To me it's the Rahm effect. No, not this quote "I wake up some mornings hating me too"- however that might fit- but this one:

You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it's an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.

I guess if I knew they really did have children's best interest at heart I would applaud them.....maybe and that's a huge maybe.

Here they are set up at a benefit to raise money for fire victims. I guess there is no place they won't go to 'patient shop', at least that's the way I see it.

Fire victims aided by Holyoke event

Sunday, February 21, 2010

By LORI STABILE

lstabile@repub.com

HOLYOKE - A benefit for Lyman and Beech streets fire victims was held Saturday at the War Memorial, featuring services available for the displaced tenants and information for the public.

A box for monetary donations for the fire victims also was at the event, which was sponsored by Centro de Restauracion Emanuel Church.

A fire relief fund has been set up at New Alliance Bank for the 15 families affected by the Dec. 23 fire at 103-105 Lyman St., and the donations will be split evenly among them, said Felicita "Nina" Lopez, outreach coordinator for the church...read complete story here.

Excerpts From "The American Way of Dentistry" by June Thomas

June Thomas from slate.com has been writing a multi-part article titled "The American Way of Dentistry".

Here is an excerpt:

Part II: The Disappearing Dentist (9/28/09)

• As the US population is increasing, less people are becoming dentist.
  • Dental schools are closing because of the extremely high cost of training dentist.
  • More and more dentists are becoming specialist
  • More dentist are working less (which helps control overhead)
• Because of supply and demand, the cost of dentistry is going up.

I'm not so sure about this and would like to know where she got her facts.

Here is another excerpt:

Part IV: How Dentists Think (9/30/09)

• 80%-85% of American dentists practice as owner-operators, as compared with only about 20 percent of physicians.
• Unlike medicine, dentist must bear the full cost of the patient care such as:
  • Equipment, supplies, utilities, x-ray machines, several kinds of insurance, rent, equipment loans, and the biggest expense…salaries of a large staff (appointment maker, billing person, dental assistants, hygienist, office manager,…).
• Most dental offices are only open 4 days a week.
  • This helps control staffing costs.
• Many people are afraid of the dentist.
  • Approximately 45 million people in the US are nervous or terrified of the dentist.
  • 23 million people avoid dental care because of fear.
  • Improvements in dental technology has taken a lot of the pain out of dentistry.
• Dentists are a trusted profession.
  • 2003 poll showed that 61% of people rated honesty and ethical standards of dentists as “high” or “very high”.
    • Only nurses, physicians, vets, and pharmacist ranked higher.
• Dental health in America has improved, but Americans’ satisfaction with their teeth has declined.
  • This has helped bring on the increase in cosmetic procedures such as teeth whitening and veneers.

Look at item 5 above, don't suspect all those numbers are quickly on the rise?

Note item 6 above. They need to take that poll again!! With all the children who have grown up in the age of dental mills I bet that rate has dropped. If it hasn't dropped it certainly will in the near future.

FORBA ads on Craig's list

FORBA has ads for Dentists flooding Craig's list and looking for recruits in just about every state and are will to pay your 'relocation' fees. Most of the ads want canidates to contact Jacob (Jake) Kochenberg. I believe daddy DeRose's (Eddie) daughter is married to Jake's brother. Keeping it "All In The Family" ya know.. I really need to put a little time into the 'family tree'.

Here is an ad for Dentists:


I see the phone number to call in interested is at the Pueblo Office.

Funny how New FORBA, who is suing Old FORBA, is allowing the Colorado office (Old FORBA) continue run the show, do the hiring etc. Maybe New FORBA is just the venue for capital after all.

You would think if there was this horrible breach of contract between New FORBA and Old FORBA as is alleged in the complaint, New FORBA would still allowing Old FORBA to control things. New FORBA says they own all the clinics, and Old FORBA just provided the management of the practice. In fact the idea that New FORBA is still allowing Old FORBA to run things tells me that New FORBA must like the way Old FORBA is doing things. Oh, wait! Maybe, just maybe it's not Old FORBA still running things. Maybe it's EEHC, LLC, who amazingly has the exact same employees as Old FORBA.

Here is another ad and I see their starting pay has dropped $20k.