Nothing But Liars! Yes, Kool Smiles, Small Smiles and others

I'm going to tell you, Kool Smiles, Small Smiles and any other dental mill that tell you how they have no rules against letting you be with your child while they torture them are LIARS!  Plain and simple!  And there is no need to complain to your state Dental Board or legislators about any of it, because they don't care!  They know it's happening and they refuse to stop it.  Many of us have been reporting on this since 2003...it's 2010!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   In my opinion if you go to a dental clinic and all you come away with is the dentist's first name...  ie..Dr. Polly...  Run  like the wind.  They don't want you to know who they really are!  Folks, the people who work in the clinics think you are the scum of the earth and don't have enough sense to get out of the rain. 

Here is the latest complaint about Kool Smiles:

At the time I thought about posting of our horrific experience with Kool Smiles but decided to keep it to myself. BUT SINCE YOU ASKED........went for cleanings on a 9 and 14 yr old...9 yr old cleaning went fine...14 yr old was traumatized..the lady cleaning her teeth had A. a very heavy accent and very hard to understand...B. a paper mask over her mouth...C. a plastic face shield...making it hard to hear her. I watched through the little two way mirror thing they have to watch your kids...(they recommend parents don't go back and baby their children unless absolutely necessary) after watching the hygienist break out the electronic cleaner thingy and torture my daughter who at this time was writhing around in pain...I went through the office and hall to see what exactly was the problem. She was yelling at my daughter to hold still and when asked why she would use that on a child she said they were behind schedule and it would be faster to use the electronic thing. While using that she ran up my daughters gums and cut it so it was bleeding badly and scaring my daughter . We went elsewhere to finish the cleaning.
My 9 yr old that was there was told to pull 3 of his own teeth while he sat in the chair. 2 were very loose so he pulled one out. The second one was not as loose so they used a tool to help but it was choking him while they were working on it. When the tooth came out, it fell in his mouth and he swallowed it. When I questioned why they were pulling the third one that was not even the slightest bit loose the tech said "oh it must be decayed" which it wasn't so I asked for the Doctor and asked the same question ....believe it or not she said the same thing and when I told her to look in his mouth and view the xrays on the light board she recanted and said "oh I see it's because it's a baby tooth with one underneath so instead of waiting we could just pull it" I expressed my opinion of the place to her and the office manager, as well as a few eavesdropping customers, took my son by the hand and left.

Angela Newberry, Dr. Karen Chu, Dr. Quentin Shaw, Jason Owen and Patient Complaints

I've been wondering how Angela Newberry, who was hired to fill the fantastic, awesome, cure all position of Patient Advocate, is coming along.  I'm not sure exactly how great of a job she can do to 'advocate' for patients being that she's being paid by the abusers.  I sounds good, but not likely to produce much improvement.  I know there have been complaints made, I'm just wondering if Ms. Newberry is seeing that they are reported to HHS.

Just to let you know that there are times complaints are sent to me as they get to you, here's just one:

Dr. Karen Chu - Phoenix

I wanted to let your office and staff know that Dr. Karen was very rude and not professional at all.  If I knew that she would be working on my son then I will switch dentist's.  Dr. Karen told me to remove me hand, I was just trying to calm my son down and she was so rude about it.  The whole time she was rude to the dental assistants, ordering them around telling I believe her name is Anna, "if you don't remember the numbers you need to write it down."  that is no way to talk to a co-worker no matter what position you are in.  Dr. Karen also was telling my son during the procedure, if you don't want your teeth to be worked on, then you need to brush your teeth. I do not need Dr. Karen or anybody else treating my son  bad.  If you have any questions feel free to give me a call.
Sylvia ** ** xxx-329-74xx

This mom is talking about Dr. Karen Chu.  I hear this is the perfect Small Smiles dentist.  To say she's the devil would be a step up from what she's usually called. She's had numerous complaints filed but nothing is ever done because, after all, she's a top producer or at least was.  I'm told Dr. Karen doesn't ask the parents for permission on very much at all, she just does it and asks later.
My guess is Sylvia will get a letter soon from FORBA firing her as a client.  They've fired several lately...(a completely different story), when they fire you, they fire the siblings of the child they are abusing too.  Which by my count is GREAT!  Keep on firing those clients, FORBA, makes my day.  I know at least 400 children have been fired (saved) in the past few weeks.  More to come? You bet your ass there is...!
Alerts out today for Office Manager needed in the Phoenix Office...  I guess the one who was there, finally had enough of Chu's mouth and attitude.  How many does that make this year that have left the Arizona clinics?  
But maybe Dr. Chu is just under enormous pressure since production is down about 50% in AZ offices, due to the cut in ACCHS fees and other factors.  At one time AZ was near the top and now they are sucking hind tit. 
I hear FORBA won't buy the employees coffee, cups, etc and the only thing free around the clinics these days is water...and if they could figure out a way to charge for that, they would.  Think it could be all these legal fees they are incurring?  The fact their own liability insurance company is trying to ditch them speaks volumes doesn’t it?

Oh well, let the Arab banker open up his coffer and pay up.  It's time.   He's abused our children long enough while being allowed to pillage our Medicaid system.   Smell that...  I smell oil $$ and it's not coming from the Gulf.
Every time you take a child to FORBA Small Smiles you help plaster this man’s palace in gold.
I wonder if Dr. Chu realizes what’s she’s doing when she’s tying up a child in a papoose board and drilling away?  So she gets a nice Mercedes and a so so place to live.  Sorry, no Mercedes is worth the hell. (honestly the biggest piece of shit car I ever owned was a Mercedes). 
I know Jason Owen is on her ass every day to produce, produce and produce.  However, I don’t feel sorry for her, who would? 
At least Dr. Quentin L. Shaw was fired, and for heaven’s sake don’t take your child to him where ever he ends up hanging his next shingle.  He was the worst papoose board abuser of all in the clinic.

June 1, 2010 and FORBA Still Keeps Parents From Accompanying Their Children.

Let me see, how many times has FORBA Small Smiles said they have no policy to keep parents from accompanying their children into the torture chambers.  I’ve lost count.  Even though a film was shot and showed to company officials, they deny it.  Even when confronted with their own hand book, page 4, where it was referred to as “parent management”, they deny it…  even when they are shown a copy of an email sent out of their own Nashville office from Lisa Mullinix with a ‘script’ to use to keep parent from going back with their child, they deny… 

Thanks to a Watchdog I was alerted to a couple of things going on at a Small Smiles clinic just today.

On Small Smiles website they have a FAQ that pretty much is nothing but falsehoods, or as I referred to them, down right lies!

 

Question:

WILL I BE PERMITTED TO BE WITH MY CHILD DURING HIS OR HER TREATMENT?

Answer :

Yes. At FORBA-associated dental centers,parents are welcome to accompany their children during treatment.

 

Just today on facebook are the following entries:

In a conversation between Janie Williams and her friend Takeeva Morrison it goes like this:

Janie: I better not b sitting here long in small smiles.  Daughter has dentist appt.

Takeeva:  Aweeee  take pics

Jannie: Wish I good [sic] but they don’t allow parents in back.  Will take pic before nd[sic] after

Takeeva Morrison: Okay

Janine: Teeth r looking good.

 

FORBA Small Smiles needs to learn that with Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites, nothing is a secret anymore.  People post things in real time… 

I knew FORBA and its settlement and signed Compliance Agreement was nothing but pure bullshit!  (sorry, to be so frank)

Don't Do It! Don't Take The $15k Bait to Work In Nebraska for Small Smiles

Signing bonuses are up at FORBA Small Smiles.  They were just $10k a few months ago, now it's $15K, or this could be just for Nebraska...who knows...  I see Jacob Kochenberger is still working for FORBA Smalll Smiles, even though his facebook page said it was EEHC, Inc last month.  Clearly FORBA is EEHC or soon will be...

Here is the link to the ad , Last updated on May 28, 2010

Source:	Omaha World-Herald
Employer:	SMALL SMILES OF OMAHA
Location:	Omaha, NE 68114 United States
Last Updated:	05/28/2010

DENTISTS NEEDED
$15,000 Signing Bonus

SEEKING LEAD DENTIST AND ASSOCIATE DENTIST in our rewarding practice in Omaha. As the nation's largest and most experienced provider to underserved children and young adults we offer an excellent guaranteed base salary, promotion opportunities and benefits (bonuses, 401k, paid vaca and 100% coverage for family health, malpractice, disability, CE, dues). Join our team of professionals providing quality dental care. General Dentists, Pediatric Dentists and new grads are encouraged to apply. Please contact Jacob at: Direct Phone: 719-562-4460 or Email: jdkochenberger@
smallsmiles.com
Or Fax: 719-584-7697

GASP!! Kool Smiles To Do Study For Virginia; Chief Dental Officer On Board; Dr. Tran (owner) Under Review In IN and GA

Smiles For Children has partnered with the dental provider, Kool Smiles (Virginia operations only), to assess the effects of best practices for decreasing broken appointment rates in specific dental clinics. Preliminary results suggest that these best practices decrease broken appointment rates. The pilot remains ongoing; however, the final results will be published in 2010 and shared with Doral’s Smiles For Children provider network to help increase provider participation, satisfaction, and member utilization. 

Read more in Virginia's 2009 report, page 5.  Note that Dr. David M. Strange is on the advisory board..  (chock and laugh)...  and he doesn't even practice in the state and is Kool Smiles Chief Dental Officer. 

Doral/DentaQuest Has Entire States of Maryland and South Carolina All To Themselves - OH NO!

Am I the only one who remembers when Maryland said there were going to be sweeping changes to the way dental services were delivered to the state's littlest Medicaid patients?  If so, you can see the report aired July 2008 here:

Being the busy person I am, I had not taken time to go back and check how things were going. (I do have a life ya know).  Well, today while gathering all the information I can find on Doral Dental USA and Atlanta Dental, Inc (ADI) now joined and named DentaQuest, I found a fantastic  announcement in its Fall 2009 Newsletter.  Doral/DentaQuest was awarded the statewide contract!!  YIPEEEEEEEEEEE!!!  


Here is the announcement:

As of July 1, 2009, the Maryland Healthy Smiles Dental Program became effective in the state. This new Maryland Medicaid dental program provides coverage for children under age 21, pregnant women 21 years of age and older and adults enrolled in the Rare and Expensive Case Management (REM) program. Under the Maryland Healthy Smiles Dental Program, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) has contracted with Doral Dental to be the sole administrator of dental benefits in the state.

Doral is responsible for building the provider network, processing and paying claims, providing member and provider support and creating outreach activities to educate members on the importance of proper oral care.  Read the entire newsletter here.

 They got the whole state of South Carolina too.  Doesn't everyone feel so much better.  NOT!  

Doral/DentaQuest is the very company who contracts with FORBA Holding/Small Smiles and NCDR/DPMS-Kool Smiles and others, giving those monstrous companies access to your child to be abused, over-treated and traumatized.

It's A Field Of Dreams... Ah...NO It's NOT!

Meet Dental Dreams, another chain claiming to be in business only to bring dental care to the "underserved"!  OMG!

Dental Dreams, LLC is owned and operated by Sameera Hussain, a licensed dentist. She graduated summa cum laude from Boston University's Goldman School of Dentistry in 1997. She has practiced dentistry almost exclusively in underserved neighborhoods, and now oversees all clinical operations for the Dental Dreams clinics. Her responsibilities include managing all vendor relations, overseeing lab work and dental supplies, and evaluating the compliance and performance of each dentist.

You know the drill, pardon the pun.  "Underserved" "Free Screenings" "Medicaid" "Fulfilling Important Needs" "Fill The Void" and all the other keywords.  They are making their way across the US now in Illinois, Texas, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Connecticut.

RICO suit filed in 2009 against Khurram Hussain, Peter Stathakis and Sameera Hussain.  Their fantastic management portion of the company is called "Field Of Dreams Dental Management, LLC.  

Keep An Eye On This Dentist; Dr. Michael Clair

April 2010

Ocean Dental Complaints

I've always had my suspicions how children were treated at Ocean Dental.  I even made a trip to the one in Louisville, Kentucky and talked with a couple of parents.  I was scared the children were receiving the same kind of care at Ocean as they do from FORBA/Small Smiles and NCDR/Kool Smiles, Smile Starters and other dental mill clinics.  However, I'm only one person and my focus has been on Small Smiles and Kool Smiles. 

Ocean Dental and Adventure Dental have been on my radar and did make the 'to do' list here at Dentist The Menace.  A couple of weeks ago the two comments below were posted. 

I was a employee of ocean dental. I was a hygienist that had to see 40- 50 patients a day. Ocean Dental commits Medicaid fraud and something needs to be done! RDH

I worked at ocean dental. ocean dental should be investigated. I also heard children cry and a doctor tell the kids to shout up. They give to much nitrous. the children are getting sick, wont allow parents to come back. now they are committing insurance fraud: bad filling!! RCT (Root Canal Therapy) failures, abscesses and fistulas not treated because they are to busy. They have fired over 20 people in three years in the Louisville office because they had been good employees, and didn't like what went on. Someone needs to do something.  I reported it to the dental board but nothing is done!! Health care and being poor should never be at the cost of our children. RDH 

I hope this employee or ex-employee takes this a step further and files a Qui Tam (Whistler Blower) lawsuit.  Surely there is some attorney in Kentucky willing to take this on.  In light of the recent settlement by FORBA and their Small Smiles clinics it's clear the same kind of abuse and fraud is taking place.  Let me appeal to "greed"...Imagine the $$'s to be made here.  As for the employee, 10% of the settlement is usually a pretty good chunk of change...  

To the poster:

I understand your frustration with the dental board.  I've written them several times, the last time ended up more like a book and have not heard a word from them.  I sent a copy of this letter to 8 lawmakers in Kentucky and I've not heard back from them either.  Clearly they could care less.  But know this, I care! 

Kool Smiles Looking For A Liar

Today I found this ad from Kool Smiles.  I couldn’t help but chuckle, thinking what they were really asking from a person who took this job.

They are looking for someone to get out in the community and lie like a dog, and do it for little pay.  They do say in  some of these ads it’s a paid internship.  Good luck with that…

Kool Smiles (www.koolsmilespc.com) provides comprehensive dental services to the residents of Roxbury and surrounding communities.

We’re looking for a highly capable intern to join the team in June/July 2010 and play a key role in our future success. To best accomplish these aforementioned job responsibilities, the intern will engage in various community outreach activities with an emphasis on education and the importance of implementing good oral hygiene habits throughout the community. The intern will gain insight and be involved in all aspects of our marketing and operations.

Responsibilities:

• Positively represent Kool Smiles in the community
• Interact with and educate the community on the need for good oral health
• Distribute Kool Smiles fliers in various establishments as assigned
• Establish business contacts for dental screenings or workshops
• Assists CRS and Dental Hygienist in dental screenings and workshops, as needed
• Assist or manage other community events, as needed

Qualifications :

• Be able to proactively solve problems with an aptitude for getting things done independently
• Be organized and deadline oriented with a high attention to detail
• Excellent verbal/written communication skills
• Have an interest in communication/marketing
• Pursuing a Bachelors degree in Marketing/Communication or a related field
• Bi-Lingual in Spanish a MUST

To apply, send a resume via e-mail to Martine Russell, Community Relations Specialist, Martine Russell,  at mrussell@ncdrllc.com and tell us what you bring to the table and why you’re interested in this opportunity.