Five Dead in Two Years

This is to every dentist who continues to over treat, mistreat and abuse children in the name of a dollar and to meet production goals.

This is to every support staff that quietly sits back day by day and says nothing. 

This is to every office manager, corporate fat head, and investment banker behind any and all corporate dental mills and Medicaid dental facilities.

This is to each and every person along the chain from top to bottom; Patient coordinators, IT staff, recruiters, etc.

This is to every member of any state's dental board who are turning their heads, some even in collusion with the criminals who call themselves dentist.  Your chosen profession is being disgraced.

If you are paid directly or indirectly from these substandard dental facilities you are just as guilty of killing the next child as the dentist in the seat next to you, in my opinion. 

I understand the need to hang on to a job.  But you can refuse to participate in these acts…things you know are just wrong.

Imagine the number of children sitting in waiting rooms right this second in all the dental mills such as Small Smiles, Kool Smiles, Smile Starters, Dream Dental and others. 

Which child will die or almost die today...what about tomorrow?

Now, on with today's programming.

Click here

Deaths In Dental Chair On The Rise

This is to every dentist who continues to over treat, mistreat and abuse children in the name of a dollar and to meet production goals. 

This is to every support staff who quietly sits back day by day and says nothing.  

This is to every office manager, corporate fat head, and investment banker behind any and all corporate dental mills and medicaid dental facilities.

This is to each and every person along the chain from top to bottom.  Patient coordinators, IT staff, recruiters, etc. 

This is to every member of any state's dental board who are turning their heads, some even in collusion with the criminals who call themselves dentist.  You are disgracing your chosen profession. 

If you are paid directly or indirectly from these substandard dental facilities you are just as guilty of killing the next child as the dentist in the seat next to you, in my opinion. 

Imagine the number of children sitting in waiting rooms right this second in all the dental mills such as Small Smiles, Kool Smiles, Smile Starters, Dream Dental and others.  Which child will die or almost die today...what about tomorrow?

The next time you see or hear the word, underserved I want to to think about each one of these dead children who were killed by overserving the so called underserved.

Now, on with today's programming.

This is Dylan Shane Stewart,  he was five years old.  At least take the time to read his obituary, the next Dylan may be an obit of a child you had a hand in killing, whether it be directly or indirectly.

Those who knew and loved him called him "Dilli Man".  He died April, 22, 2010 in the care of Dr. Ronnie Lynn Grundset a dentist in Gainesville, Florida. 

Dilli Man was there to have four fillings and eight caps put on his teeth. Sounding eerily familiar to you.  What about you, Dr. DeRose?

His parents stayed with him as he fell asleep.  They took him from the room, and like each of you do many times a day, they reassured his parents, that Dilli Man would be ok.   Dilli Man was NOT ok.

They stepped outside.  Jennifer, his mom heard sirens.   They kept getting closer to Dr. Grundset's office.  That is when the instinct all mothers have kicked in and Dilli Man's mom knew something was very wrong.


Dilli Man's parent ran inside and watched the staff perform CPR.   When the ambulance arrived, they took Dylan to Shands at the University of Florida, his dad rode in the ambulance with him.  Close your eyes and imagine being Dylan's father. 

Now, you females, who are to damn scared to step you and report these incompetent and careless dentists, take another minute and close your eyes.  Imagine being Jennifer, Dilli Man's mom, following behind the ambulance as it raced to the hospital with your 5 years old child's life hanging by a thread.   If you don't feel the unbelievable pain and panic in your gut, you should be ashamed, but most of all you should be scared.  Tomorrow you will get up, put on those scrubs and walk in that dental clinic and each child you take back, may be the one you kill today.


About 45 minutes after arriving at the hospital, Dilli Man was dead.  He was 5 and he  was dead!  Why?

Dr. John Rutkauskas, chief executive officer of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry said that among the possible causes of death of anyone who received a sedative was anaphylactic shock.  "Anaphylaxis shock is the body's allergic reaction to a drug."  


"Hundreds of thousands of sedatives are used in pediatric dentistry on an annual basis, and you almost never hear of a fatality."  he said.  This is the AAPD's talking points.  More on that later in this article.

 I'm sorry Dr. Rutkauskas, ALMOST is not good enough.


Dr. Rutkauskas should have been asked about the procedure Dylan was to receive that day.  Wasn't it excessive, what about how necessary?  Was it really a life or death matter?  Did they put him to sleep and strap him in a papoose board and not be able to tell he was in distress?  This happens a hell of a lot more than "almost never".  This happens thousands of times a month and some dentists and assistants just get lucky.
(Dr. Grundset's dental license are marked "Clear/Active".  Qualifications "Pediatric Conscious Sedation and there are no discipline actions or complaints listed in the online file)

Even though the autopsy report is not back, in my opinion Jacobi Hill was killed by Dr. Robert E. Primosch, in Richmond, Virginia just one month after Dylan.  Look at this little boy.  What a bright beautiful smile.  How much dental work could this 6 year old little boy need?  Blip.fm


The dental profession is killing our children and the state dental boards are doing little to stop this madness.  It is just another example of "agency capture phenomena."

"It's used thousands of times every day," dentist Indru Punwani, a spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and head of the pediatric dentistry department at the University of Illinois at Chicago, told the Times-Dispatch.  

Please note the response by the AAPD spokesman.

Dr. Robert Campbell, a pediatric oral surgeon at Virginia Dental and Anesthesia Associates, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that the most common cause of death in dental offices under anesthesia is related to an airway condition.

According to Campbell, "the most common problem is that the vocal cords go into a spasm and shut down," in the upper airway. He states this upper airway problem could possibly be related to an allergic reaction. The next most common issue would involve the lower airway, in an asthma-like attack.  This is referred to as a laryngospasm. 

In a May 15, 2010 story at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Tammy Smith wrote: Dr. Indru Punwani said,  "untreated decay causes pain and suffering and can lead to infection.  Simply pulling the tooth is not always the best option."  He mentions there could be speech problems if the two front teeth are missing as a child is learning to speak.

REALLY?!  Exactly how many children have rotten front teeth at 18 months old?

On February 19, 2009 Cory Moore, Jr. age 9 was killed by dentist Dr. R. Andrew Powless.  Dr. Powless did business under the name "Florida Special Care Dentistry".  Powless sedated little Cory even though he and his staff were completely aware that Cory had eaten prior to the dental procedure.  Cory coked to death on his own vomit.  Cory's family have filed suit against Dr. Powless, but currently Dr. Robert Andrew Powless's license in Florida are  marked "Clear and Active" for Conscious Sedation.  Amazingly, (eyes rolling) when you check to see what discipline has been taken against Dr. Powless, it will result in nada.   The online file will tell you discipline has been take but in order to view the details, you must write to the Division of Medical Quality Assurance in Tallahassee, Florida.   There is also a link on his online license verification that links to actual complaints.  These two must be requested.  However, there are two case numbers listed, both in 1997.  Add to this headache to check on Dr. Powless, Florida's professional licenses lookup/verification is hidden deep within the website.  Clearly they don't make it easy to check. 


Children are vomiting daily in these dental mills.  The employees simply flips the child over and suction.  It's easier to flip the child while strapped to "The Board"!


Quoted from South Tampa News Tribune in connection to Cory Moore's death:  

"It's a rare event, but when it occurs it's a tragic event and we certainly don't want it to Inoccur," said Dr. Milton Houpt, chairman of pediatric dentistry at the New Jersey Dental School, who says he has been studying the issue. 

Dr. Houpt said there are no national statistics on the number of children who die while being sedated in dental offices. The available information is anecdotal, said Houpt, who is conducting a survey with a colleague that includes questions about whether dentists have experienced deaths in their offices.

"In a sample of 2,000 practitioners, you may have one or two" deaths, Houpt said. But that estimate also is anecdotal.

"There has, over the years, been increasing attention to this issue in order to make sedation as safe as possible," he said. "That attention led to the development of guidelines and the review of those guidelines on an ongoing basis.

"I think it's important to recognize there are literally hundreds of thousands of sedations each year and they're almost always performed in a safe fashion," Houpt said.

I have serious doubt in some of Houpt's statements.   Didn't that last sentence sound familiar?  Almost word for word from Dr. John Rutkauskas'.

Well that would be because they are the AAPD talking points sent out in a recent memo.   They call it "we have finalized a media holding statement" Dr. Houpt says these deaths are extremely rare, however he also said no one keeps records.  So which is it.  If he's doing this study, it shouldn't take him but a week or so, if he knows about "google".  Supposedly this is a 25 year study and should be available soon.  REALLY?  C'mom 25 years!  Sounds more like keeping it under wraps for 25 years to me!

The Academy does not keep such statistics because it is not required to and, given the litigation that frequently shrouds the cases, it is difficult to do, according to Academy spokesman Dr. Stephen Wilson in a scathing article in Health News Florida by Mary Jo Malone.


In the same article Mary reports Dr. Stephen Wilson says, "Such cases are handled by dentistry boards as individual disciplinary complaints, if substandard care was involved." 

Are you kidding me??????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!  There are statistics on how many people are struck by lightening each year, there are stats on  how many birds live in any particular area, and no one is keeping track of how many innocent children die at the hands of a dentist!  Honesty, this is just crazy.  My guess is it's the "A Few Good Men Syndrome" as to why no one is tracking this.  The profession can't handle the truth and they don't want the general public to know the truth.

This is what I've been saying about the inadequacy of those very boards.  Board members are appointed and serve a short term of 2 years or so.  At that point those same board members are back into private practice and could well find themselves on the carpet being judged and sentenced by someone who has an ax to grind.  And taking a phrase from a reader, Turkey's don't usually vote for Thanksgiving.  So the chances of rules and regulations to curtail this is not likely.

The memo from the AAPD has links to several deaths but leaves out many as well.  As with  Javier Villa, who was killed by Dr. Gabriella Pham in 1997.   Javier was only 4 years old.

A 22-page statement released by the court tells of what happened in the clinic through the eyes of the two dentists and two unlicensed assistants who cared for Javier.  Dental assistant Claudia Briseno told investigators that dentist Dr. Gabriella Pham had filled three of Javier's cavities and worked on a fourth when they noticed mucus coming from the boy's nose. While (dental assistant) Alejandra Juarez was wiping the nose, she noticed that the chest was not rising. ... Alejandra put the mouth mirror up to his nose and it did not fog up. She checked for a pulse and could not locate one.

Dasia Washington, was 10.  She lived in Pompano Beach.  She was killed in 2006 by Dr. Edward R. Walters and Dr. Abbe Silverberg-Aroshas.   The state records show she was given nitrous oxide, lidocaine and epinephrine and strapped to a papoose board.  She too was suffocated to death in a dentist chair.  When interviewed, Walters said, “I walked away from about a $3 million practice and closed it." He gave up his license, he said, because “I couldn’t deal with it anymore.” 

Well, bless his poor heart!  He sounds much like the British Petroleum guy who just wants to get back to his life.

In Boca Raton a 10 year old died in 2006 from aspiration complications at a dentist office.

There is Jonathan Barrera who died from an overdose of anesthetic while strapped to a papoose board.  He was killed by Dr. Mathew Nolen (deceased) and worked under the direction of Dr. Edward DeRose, Dr. Michael DeRose and Dr. William Mueller in one of the Small Smiles clinics in Phoenix.  Jonathan was 4 years old! Jonathan is dead.  

Maddoux Cordova was 22 months old when he was killed in December 2009 while having crowns on his teeth.  Dr. Cynthia Banker was in charge of this one.  I want each of you to look at his distraught mother's face.   See the pain.  Can't you feel her agony?  I know I can.

Look at this sweet little boy.  Maddox was on 22 months old!!!  Less than 2 years old!!!  How many teeth could he have had?   Crowns?  Really?  That answer would be a big fat NO.

Every time these dental mills try and defend their outrageous behavior with all the stainless steal crowns and baby root canals, the very first thing they will tell you is about Deamonte Driver, a 12 year old homeless child.  An infection started with an abscessed tooth and spread to his brain.


In fact, this case has been used by "Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) and Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) to put more children who lack insurance or who rely on state aid into a dentist's chair." 

"It is outrageous today that in America, a young boy can die because his family can't find a dentist to remove an infected tooth," Cardin said on the Senate floor Thursday. "Anytime we lose a child, it is a tragedy. But Deamonte Driver's death is particularly devastating because it was easily preventable." 

 (quote from Washington Post, March 3, 2007)

 First, even families who have medical insurance, even some very good medical insurance may not have dental coverage!  Even if you do, other than free cleanings it covers very little.  If I took the cost of our dental insurance and put in the bank, I'd be money ahead.

But the most important thing I have to say on this is this:

"It is outrageous today that in America, a young boy can die because his family can find a dentist, Senator Cardin.  Are you as concerned about all the deaths discussed here, which far out number one who died of an infection.  Why are you not on the Senate floor wailing about this issue."  And you can quote me on that!

These dental mills and other dental facilities use dentists who are substandard at best, the C- to D- students.  The poor quality of dental care is killing children!  Has anyone looked at how many of these deaths in just the past 18 months are children on medicaid?  Most, if not all!  Doesn't that say something!  You are not helping them, you are killing them! 

Some will argue the children must be treated aggressively, root canals, caps/crowns are the best way to achieve good dental health.  I say your are full of it.  

In March 2008 Jacqueline Martinez coked to death at New Smile Dental Office.  Jacqueline was 7 years old.  The child died from choking on a tooth that was dropped and became stuck in her throat.   The dentist who killed Jacqueline was Dr. Thien Luong of Riverside, California.  

October 2006 5 year old Diamond Brownridge was killed by Dr. Hicham Riba.  She too was receiving crowns.  She went to sleep and never woke up.  Four days later she was dead.  Another mother, another father suffering the worst thing a parent could ever experience.  What happened to Dr. Hicham Riba?  Dr. Riba was fined a measly $10,000.  That was the maximum under Illinois state law.  The state board of Professional Regulations suspended Dr. Riba's licenses to sedate patients but only suspended his dental licenses for 18 months.  Originally the Illinois Board of Dentistry only recommended his general dentistry license be suspended for 6 months!!!!!!

Riba intravenously gave Diamond diazepam or Valium twice -- a 1.3-milliliter dose followed up with a 1.2-milliliter dose -- within a five-minute period, the complaint said. He also gave her "7.5 milligram of an oral Valium, nitrous oxide-oxygen 3:3; .25 milliliter of IV atropine; .25 milliliter IV Talwin; 1.3 milliliter Midazolam and 2 carpules of 2 percent lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine" within a 90-minute time frame, the complaint said.  

Dr. Riba's insurance company settled with Diamond's parents for $1millon.
(Currently, Dr. Riba is still holds a dental licenses in Illinois.  He is on probation until September 30, 2012.)

October 12, 2006 was when baby Jessenia Valles was killed at the dentist office.  Jessenia was two years old.  She was killed by an overdose of Mepivicaine at Good Sheperd Dental Clinic in Houston by Dr. Robert Choy.  The name of the clinic sounds so "Biblical" and safe doesn't it.  

Jessenia was alone when she died.  Her mother wasn't allowed into the exam room with her baby daughter.  Alone in the waiting room, her mother heard her precious daughter crying.  The other staff reassured Jessenia's mom everything was ok, as they always do.  But again, everything wasn't ok.  

Dr. Robert Kim Choy was supposed to repair cracks in her teeth, not kill her.  After Dr. Choy did his repair they left little Jessenia alone in a room to recover, not letting her mother back there.  The child was in there, alone for nearly an hour.  The comforting nurse told little Jessenia's mom, she (Jessenia) needed time to recover.  

As the mother waited patiently in the waiting area, Jessenia died, alone.  SHE WAS TWO YEARS OLD!  

Dr. Choy had been warned by the State Board of Dental examiners in August 2004 that was not to keeping adequate records and the complaint was settled. 

Links to the story:

Toddler Dies After Trip To Dentist 
Child's Death At Dentist Ruled Accidental by Overdose 
Heart wrenching video report 

(Dr. Robert Kim Choy has surrendered his Texas dental licenses in 2009)

Finally, when was the last time your office had a mock drill to prepare for the above emergencies.  Illinois is the first and only state so far to pass a law requiring dental facilities to have an emergency plan. 

Kool Smiles is now Kool Smiles

Kool Smiles Holding, LLC is now Kool Smiles Holding, LLC.  Yeah I know it sounds stupid, and it is.
Kool Smiles was started by Dr. Tu Tran and Dr. Thien Pham, back in 2002 after leaving the employment of Ed and Michael DeRose at the Smile High clinic on Colorado.  (there a load of info on that on this blog)
By 2004 Tran and Pham reigned in the private equity firm, Friedman Fleischer & Lowe, a San Francisco base company.  Kool Smiles Holding was formed to facilitate the transaction.
NCDR, LLC (National Children Dental Research) was formed to ‘manage’ the Kool Smiles clinics. 
A couple of years ago, Kool Smiles II was created to take over the Kool Smiles in the west.  It was managed under the name DPMS, LLC (Dental Practice Management Services).  All still with FF&L holding the purse strings.
So all they have basically done was remerge.  They once were one, then they were two and now they are one again.
Here’s the Corporate run down:
President – David Lowe
VP and Sec – Aaron Money
Director – Tully Friedman
CFO – S. Thomas Nance
Directors– William Brody, Paul Walker, DDS, Douglas Brown, Kevin Miller, Brian Bouma, and Joseph Mello.
Kool Smiles Reg D form can be seen here.

Kentucky Dental Board Asleep At the Wheel, again!

Do you see the name of the dentist who could be practicing in this Aspen Dental?  I don’t.  Nor is it on the huge signage on the building. 

Update:

I called the number and spent about 10 minutes wading through the phone system, pushing 1 for this and 2 for that.  Finally was able to speak with someone at the local office.  I asked what the name of the dentist was who would treat me if I made an appointment.  The person said, Dr. Jackson.  Upon searching the dental board website to verify a dentist with the last name Jackson, I did find a name…  FINALLY! 

Dr. Robert A. Jackson, Aspen Dental, 5051 Frederica Street, Owensboro, Kentucky 42301.  License issued 6-2-2008.  Expires 12-31-2011.  License number 8609 and he’s a General Dentist.

 

KRS 313.240

Professional service corporations, professional limited liability companies, and partnerships -- Use of names -- Places of practice -- Limitation on number of practices per person.
(1) (a) No person shall practice or offer to practice dentistry or dental surgery under the name of any company, association, or corporation except the name of a professional service corporation, established under KRS Chapter 274, a professional limited liability company established under KRS Chapter 275, a partnership established under the Kentucky Uniform Partnership Act, or a partnership established under the Kentucky Revised Uniform Partnership Act, or as provided under KRS 313.197. Any person practicing or offering to practice dentistry or dental surgery shall practice under his or her own name; the name of a professional service corporation, professional limited liability company, or partnership, which includes his or her name; or the name of a deceased or incapacitated dentist for whom the person practicing dentistry has contracted to perform continuing operations.
(b) No such person shall conduct a dental office in his or her name nor advertise his or her name in connection with any dental office unless he or she personally performs services as a dentist or dental surgeon in such office or personally supervises such services as are performed in such office during a portion of the time such office is operated by him or her only, and shall not use his or her name in connection with that of any other dentist, except as provided for deceased or incapacitated dentists in KRS 313.197.
(2) No person shall be an incorporator, director, officer, member, manager, or shareholder in more than three (3) professional service corporations, three (3) professional limited liability companies, or three (3) partnerships, or any three (3) of these business entities, rendering dental or dental surgery services. No dentist or dental surgeon or group of dentists or dental surgeons shall practice in more than three (3) locations.
Effective: June 26, 2007
History: Amended 2007 Ky. Acts ch. 53, sec. 1, effective June 26, 2007; and ch. 137, sec. 139, effective June 26, 2007. -- Amended 1974 Ky. Acts ch. 220, sec. 1; and ch. 269, sec. 1. -- Amended 1964 Ky. Acts ch. 12, sec. 15. -- Recodified 1942 Ky. Acts ch. 208, sec. 1, effective October 1, 1942, from Ky. Stat. sec. 2636-14.
Legislative Research Commission Note (6/26/2007). This section was amended by 2007 Ky. Acts chs. 53 and 137. Where these Acts are not in conflict, they have been codified together. Where a conflict exists, Acts. ch. 137, which was last enacted by the General Assembly, prevails under KRS 446.250.

Kool Smiles Open’s In Gary Indiana; Another View

I’m never disappointed when it comes to government agencies and their complicity in abuse, fraud and opening allowing criminal to operate with in their states.

As it’s happened once again, this time in Northern Indian.  Gary to be precise. 

Early last fall the regional manager for Kool Smiles was sent to the Statehouse to sell her snake oil in the name of quality dental care to the “underserved”. 

Being not as well informed as one might think he should be, Rep. Charlie Brown (the name could explain it) bought every drop she had and ordered more.  He asked her to bring Kool Smiles to his hometown, Gary.  Now we know Dr. Polly Bucky didn’t just happen to show up at the Statehouse, nor did one little speech set the ball rolling for this clinic.  It was already a done deal, this was just the dog and pony show that has to be made for the benefit of the public and, well, news outlets.

I wonder if Dr. Polly showed Rep. Charlie Brown the papoose boards.  Were they hidden away in the closet during the open house?  I wonder if he ever asked just how they deliver that ‘quality care’.

(Of course it was already planned to bring the clinic there, what do we think Dr. Polly was there for in the first place, but it does make for great theater)

So yesterday, the clinic was open and is located in the Gary Community Health Center, 1021 W. 5th Ave. 

This is being touted as a public-private partnership.  We know what that means.  Taxpayers are not only footing the bill for the clinic, they will be paying the dentist, hygienist and other staff via Medicaid dollars. 

I don’t understand why the taxpayers of Indiana even need Kool Smiles as more or less the middle man.  Just hire some dentist and put them to work.

When Rep. Charlie Brown (sorry, can hardly not giggle when I write that) said, “From start to finish, Kool Smiles has had Gary’s best interest at heart,” I puked in my mouth.  As will the children who go there for their version of “Quality Care”.

I wonder if Rep. Brown and whoever he got to ok the HRSA $$’s to put Kool Smiles there has access to the Internet?

You would think by they way this was presented, there was nothing like it in Gary and that just would not be true.

FORBA’s facility, Children’s Dental Clinic of Gary is open every day.

Amazingly just a few weeks ago,  April and May,  the founder of Kool Smile’s, Dr. Tu Minh

Tran,  license status at the board’s website was “under review” but still allowed to practice.  (Not that he’s ever seen a patient in Indiana)

It’s Dr. Tran’s license that keeps the clinics close to legally operating.  They are clean as a whistle today.  However in Georgia, where Kool Smiles (NCDR, LLC) is headquartered, his dental license expired 12-31-2009 and the renewal is “pending”.

 

 

I wish I could be there to see the faces of the other medical personnel who will share the building with Kool Smiles when they begin to hear the screams of pain and see the children as they walk out of Kool Smiles’ area.   I am glad there are other facilities there to offer medical care because those children will need it, if thing happen there as they do at every other Kool Smiles office.

I hope Rep. Charlie Brown cares enough about his district to make unannounced visits to check on things, his future political career now hinges on Kool Smiles.  Isn’t that scary!  I don’t know how many times I have to tell people to be very careful what you ask for, because you just may get it!

Oh and if there is any person in Lake County who would like to challenge Rep. Charlie Brown during the next election, keep a close eye on Kool Smiles.  It will give you all the ammo you need.  Below is Dr. Polly’s latest on camera video.  Wonder if she’s ever been through the Dale Carnegie program, I’m guessing no.  Actually, I’m guessing by the dumb look on her face she’s never hear of it.

 

Just a small example of horror stories from Kool Smiles:

My name is XXX BXXXXX and I have taken my kids to Kool smiles and our experience about 2 months ago was horrible. I refuse to take my children back to this dentist office. My son who is six years old was told that he could not go to the bath room while in the chair and that he needed to hold it, while screaming and hurting he peed on himself. In the event to cover it up or to make it not as noticeable they tried to dry him with a hand dryer. When I was informed about the incident I was mortified and more so hurt. To know that my son was made to sit there and use the bathroom on himself was painful to me and to him. When I questioned them I was told that he waited to the last minute to tell them and they were at a point where they couldn’t stop. I informed them that, that was not acceptable and I was very unhappy, they offered to put his clothes in a dryer, I refused. I called their corporate office the following day and left a message to file a complaint and I never heard back from anyone. After several attempts to file a complaint with them and no response I gave up. When I saw this article it gave me some relief that I am not the only one that is going through the pain caused by Kool Smiles.

Heartland Dental Complaints

Things must be going to crap at Heartland Dental.  I can’t tell how many people have been to this blog using the term: Heartland Dental Complaints, including the State of Tennessee.

Heartland, whatever you’re doing, you better get it lined out, and fast.

Indictment of Four and One Dentist is NY Medicaid Fraud Scheme

On June 2, 2010 NY Attorney General announced the arrest and indictment of four people and three corporations for stealing 5.7 million through a Medicaid fraud scheme originating out of Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx.

The complaint says from January 1,  2006 to April 7, 2010 David Ibragimov, Arthur Ibragimov and Kew Gardens as well as his son-in-law Mikhail Isakov.

These characters operated three dental clinics and were NOT dentist, so they were not permitted to own those dental clinics.

It’s alleged these men had an “arrangement” with dentists they hired.  In the deal the dentists had to pay the crook’s companies two-thirds of the revenues received through billing Medicaid. 

There guys took it a step farther than FORBA Small Smiles, Kool Smiles, and other.  They actually hired people to head into neighborhoods and homeless areas, offer the prospective clients a few buck to come to the clinics for “service”. 

Dr. Bruce Speiser is currently the only dentist indicted but other dentists are being investigated.

Laryngospasm - What Dr. Spears Needs To Know

North Carolina Board of Dentistry Wants To Hear From You.... really?

The North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners is holding a public hearing at it's office at 507 Airport Blvd, Ste 105, Morrisville, North Carolina.  The meeting will take place this Thursday, June 17, at 7 PM.  

Written comment from the public will be accepted through August 8, 2010 and can be sent to the board at the address above.  They don't seem to offer an email address.

The meeting  is to consider the following amendment to rule:
 

21 NCAC 16F.0103 CORPORATE OR LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY NAME(the strikethrough is to be deleted and the underlined to be added to the rule)

Corporation or limited liability company designations shall consist only of the use of the words "Professional
Association," "P.A.", "Professional Corporation," or "P.C." for professional corporations and "Professional Limited Liability Company", or "P.L.L.C." for professional limited liability companies. All names shall also contain only the name or surname of one or more of the shareholders or members and may include the word "Associate(s)." the words “Associate(s)”, “D.D.S,.” “D.M.D.” and the geographic location of the company, provided that the company name may not be false, deceptive or misleading.
History Note: Authority G.S. 55B-5; 57C-2-01; 57C-2-30; 90-48;E
Eff. September 3, 1976;
Readopted Eff. September 26, 1977;
Amended Eff. August 1, 2010; August 1, 2009; August 1, 2002; April 1, 1994; May 1, 1989.

It can be seen here.

Seems to me the only people who would object to the, still very liberal verbiage, would be the crooks.  However I believe the language could be much tighter.  Adding some name of a North Carolina licensed dentist, the last name of a shareholder or member of the PLLC and a location clears nothing up.  Am I wrong?  For example, FORBA's Small Smiles clinics in Ohio alone are listed as follows: 

SMALL SMILES DENTAL CENTER OF COLUMBUS, LLC - JODI KUHN, DDS AND OLIVIA CROOM, DDS  with a Trade Name of Small Smiles Dental Centers of Columbus.  You pick the city then add the two names and file a DBA (doing business as) or a Trade Name, as it's called in some states and you still don't have a clue who your dentist is, who is going to treat you, or whose name will end up on the billing.

This is EXTREMELY misleading.  Why, well because Olivia Croom, DDS is listed on various dental plan sites as working in Farmington, MI, Mishawak, IN, and Dayton, OH.  In fact her name didn't even show up of state corporate filings until February, 2010, just four months ago.  Until then it was Jodi Kuhn and Patricia Nicklas, DDS and before that it was Kenneth Knott and Robert Andrus, and they NEVER treated one patient in OHIO.  

Here you can see when it was SSDC of C, LLC Kenneth Knott and Robert Andrus the phone book ad looked as though you would be making an appointment with either of the above dentists, but you would be dead wrong!   By the way, these clinics have changed their legal name 4 times in 6 years. 

 Let's look at the clinics in North Carolina that Michael DeRose and Tish Ballance owned and operated under the name Medicaid Dental Centers then changed it's name to Smile Starters.

Everyone thinks good ole Michael Anthony DeRose was ran out of North Carolina on a rail, well they too would be wrong.  He's alive and active in North Carolina.  As recently as September last year (2009) he changed the name of one of the companies.  (yes, I said one)  He changed Michael Anthony DeRose, DDS, PA to Michael Anthony DeRose, Inc.  (I suppose the DDS had to go after Colorado finally got off their asses and revoked his licenses).  

When Michael changed the name to Michael Anthony DeRose, INC he also amended the Articles of Incorporation to read to a Chapter 55B General Status and the nature of the Michael Anthony DeRose, Inc to: GENERAL BUSINESS MARKETING & CONSULTING.  (yes, his marketing ideas and advice is exactly what the dentists ordered!)

  

 HOWEVER, on October 6, 2009, the North Carolina Department of Revenue had other ideas for Michael Anthony DeRose, INC. and put the business was on suspension for violating N.C.G.S. 105-230 (a).  (he owes them money).  The suspension notices mentioned that once this was corrected they would remove the suspension.  It's hard to tell, but I believe everything was set straight with the Department of Revenue since it's status is Current-Active-Multiple.

 

But wait!  There's more!  Yes!  Ballance & DeRose, DDS, PA is Current-Active as well.  That's right, these two are still hooked up it appears.   Wanna take a guess where the current address is...  awe...c'mon...  YES!  2211 Executive Drive, Charlotte, NC  28201.  Not sure why, but one Incorporators name was left off the name of the company, his name- Robert D. Hinshaw, 185 Kimel Park Drive, Ste 200, Winston-Salem, NC  27103, he's an attorney.  But shouldn't he have been held as responsible for the actions of Ballance & DeRose, DDS, PA?   Just saying....

Ballance & DeRose, DDS, PA's Professional Service is -Dental Services.  So under the proposed change to North Carolina's rules, what would Mike, Tish and Robert do?

Well, the name contains the name or surname of one or more of the shareholders or members, it's a PA (professional association), so they are good there.  Since they are allowed to use "Associates" or "DDS" or DMD" in the name, that would be ok too, Tish Ballance is still licensed but they could always drop that and use Associates.  The only issue then is the location.   Well, all they have to do is add "of Charlotte" or "of Asheville" or "of Fayetteville" or "of Winston-Salem" or "of Greensboro" or "of Raleigh".  Then file the DBA as they do in Ohio and you still get Smile Starters and it clears nothing up and is still misleading.

If they are worried about something being 'misleading' they should look at the decor and advertising these places do that makes parents feel they are seeing pediatric dentists when they are in fact seeing someone who doesn't deserve to be called a dentist at all!

I know some are going to scream, oh no, Dr. Rafael Rivera, Jr. owns these clinics, and I say Bull!  He's just started his own PLLC (Professional Limited Liability Company) and contacts his services to these clinics...or something close to that.  

Root Dental Management is also alive, current and active in North Carolina, address is still the Executive St address in Charlotte.   Ryan P. Root filed his annual report in March 2010, wonder if Roger Walters is still on board there?  Ryan P. Root's address on the annual report is PO Box 816, PUEBLO, COLORADO.

So after looking at this, the only thing I see that improves the 'rule' is for the State of North Carolina Department of Revenue.  More filing fees for each location of each of the 'clinics', tax returns for each individual clinic as a separate business...

I don't see what the point is to add the geographic location of each clinic, if it doesn't matter whether the dentist who provide the services there are not necessarily on the ones on the state corporate filings, heck they may well not even live in the state!  

C'mon North Carolina Board of Dentistry, you can do better, children are being abused, medicaid is being defrauded and children are dying.

Where am I wrong here?

How many children died this week at the hands of a greedy dentist??? Is your child next? Or are you the next dentist to kill one?