Turnover Still High

Appears as though things are not changing much at Small Smiles, in Ohio anyway.  In the last month, one clinic lost three employees, hire three replacements, and quickly lost 2 of those.

 

Wooo Hoooo

Ameris Health Systems–Shifting Focus Toward Management

One day before FORBA’s Michael Lindley signed the 5 year Corporate Integrity Agreement his other associated company, Ameris sent out a press release announcing it was “shifting it’s focus to management”.  !!

Nashville Post talks about this and the “unloading” of all but one of it’s hospitals.
Read it here.

Michael Lindley bought his Florida condo from Ameris Realty of Florida, he is up to his eyeballs in Ameris.

Ameris Health Systems
1114 17th Avenue South
Suite 205
Nashville, TN 37212

From the Ameris Health Website

History:
In 1992, Sam Lewis founded Consolidated Health Corporation ( CHC ). CHC was the predecessor of Ameris Health Systems, LLC (Ameris). Ameris, a Tennessee limited liability company, was formed on June 26, 1998 for purposes of developing, owning and managing hospitals and geriatric psychiatric units.

The first project undertaken by CHC was the reopening of Morton Medical Center in Morton, Mississippi. The hospital had been closed for 4 years prior to the involvement of CHC . Ameris recruited physicians and managed this facility until 1998, when management was returned to the local hospital authority. The facility is still open and serving the needs of the community.

In 1993, CHC reopened Newton Regional Hospital, originally a 50-bed acute care facility in Newton, Mississippi. The hospital had been closed for 9 months when CHC reopened it. Over the years, Ameris had added physicians to the medical staff, implemented a 12-bed geriatric psychiatric unit and a swing bed program increasing the services provided to the community and Income for the hospital. In 2003, management was returned to the local hospital authority.

In 1996, Ameris was engaged to manage Prentiss Regional Hospital & Nursing Home in Prentiss, Mississippi. Ameris added a 14-bed geriatric psychiatric unit and a swing bed program. New physicians were attracted to the community. The facility was renovated via grant money obtained by Ameris management. In 2004, management was returned to the local hospital authority.

In 1997, Ameris purchased CareNet Health Systems, Inc. (an owner and manager of residential adolescent treatment facilities), developed and opened 2 additional facilities in Birmingham and Philadelphia, and sold CareNet to Children's Comprehensive Services, Inc. In 1998.

In 1997, Ameris purchased Smith Hospital in Hahira, Georgia. Following a bitterly contested Certificate of Need (CON) application process, Smith received approval to build a new facility In Valdosta, eight miles away. Ameris syndicated the facility to local physicians and other Investors. The new facility opened in June 2002. Ameris partners individually own approximately 30% of Smith Hospital and Ameris manages this facility. Smith Northview Hospital is very successful as an Ameris-managed facility. The hospital has undergone four expansions in its new location since opening and has a bed capacity of 54. A fifth expansion is currently underway to increase the capacity of the Women's Center and Nursery.

In 1998, Ameris took over management of a geriatric-psychiatric unit for Winston Medical Center in Louisville , MS . Ameris recruited physicians and increased the marketing efforts of the unit. Ameris continues to manage this unit.

In 2001, Ameris' founder, Sam Lewis led a group of investors who acquired Children's Comprehensive Services, Inc., a NASDAQ listed public company with annual revenues of approximately $140 million, and took the company private.

[ He tried to hide the company from scrutiny by taking it private is what he’s really saying.  Twiford Rainer, Al Smith (“Smith”), Mike White, Rodney Cawood (“Cawood”), Buddy Turner, Jeff Cross, Gail Debiec, Brad Gardner, Brad Williams, Don Wert, Rob Minor, Mike McCulla, Jim Shaheen, and Rod Gaeta were the group of investors -  Smith, Cawood, Lindley, Gardner, Williams, McCulla are the crooks who own the illegal dental clinics-Small Smiles]

The company then operated as KEYS Group Holdings, LLC ( KEYS ). Mr. Lewis was on the board of KEYS and Ameris partners owned more than 10% of the company. KEYS ' audited financials for 2004 reflected shareholder equity of $42.7 million, net revenues of $118 million and pretax income of $6.5 million from continuing operations and a $40.6 million gain on sale of discontinued operations. KEYS was sold to Universal Health Systems in 2005.

In 2003, Ameris obtained a CON to build a 70 bed replacement medical/surgical hospital in Phenix City , Alabama . Ameris contributed the CON with an appraised value of $3 million to Russell County Community Hospital , LLC ( Summit Hospital ), raised over $22 million of additional equity and obtained a HUD insured mortgage loan, which closed on May 19, 2005 , for $33.6 million needed to develop, construct and equip Summit Hospital . Summit Hospital was sold to Houghston Orthopedic Clinic in February 2008.

In late 2004, Ameris acquired the operations of two acute care hospitals ( Blytheville and Osceola Arkansas ) from Baptist Health Systems of Memphis and entered into leases for each of the two facilities with Mississippi County Arkansas. Ameris and Ameris partners own approximately 66% of the Arkansas operation and Ameris was contracted to manage each facility. Ameris returned the management of the facilities back to the County in March2009.

In April 2007, Ameris received approval from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration for a Certificate of Need to develop a 60 bed general acute care hospital in Levy County , Chiefland , Florida . Plan developments and financing activities are currently underway.

In September 2008, Ameris assumed the management contract for Barrien County Hospital and Georgia Home Health Services in Nashville , GA. Berrien County Hospital is a JCAHO accredited facility with a licensed capacity of 63 beds. Ameris added a 12-bed geriatric psychiatric service to the hospital in January 2010. Georgia Home Health Services operates three offices – Nashville , GA ; Valdosta , GA ; and Tifton , Georgia . Ameris returned operations of the facilities back to the owners in August 2010.

In January 2010, Ameris began a management engagement and turnaround of the 50-bed acute care hospital in Montezuma , GA. A financial turnaround is currently underway, as well as plans to sell the facility’s assets to a newly formed 501( c ) 3 corporation under an Ameris management agreement.

Ameris Health Systems and Ameris Management Services continue to explore new opportunities for management, development, and consulting for general acute and psychiatric health care entities. Please contact us for more information at (615) 327-4440 .

Ameris of Georgia -

CEO – Sam J. Lewis
CFO – Michael G. Lindley
Sec – Luther Ramsay

Just sitting around wondering how one could divvy up a Football Stadium...

Small Smiles Dentist Pay To Be Production Based Only by January 2011-No Vacation-No Holidays-No Paid Time Off

ATTN- Current and Future Small Smiles Dentists.  This is a News Alert!

You are about to get your chance to get the hell out of this corrupt company.  If I were you, I'd take it and run like the wind.  I'm telling you this so you will have time to start looking for work elsewhere.  I also expect you to leave your bad training and treatment habits behind and never touch a papoose board again, unless its an emergency.  I have a very large database and will be checking for complaints for years to come.

In the next few months you are going to be presented with an ultimatum.  Either sign a new contract or you have 90 days to move on to greener pastures.

For those of you who are seeing new ads on the Internet for dentists, BEWARE, it's a bait and switch, read on for clarification.

For all  'sponsored' foreign dentists who are here and enslaved to FORBA, it's time to decide, stay or move back to your mother country.  I would go home.  If you stay with FORBA chances are you will be in deep doo doo with the government before too long.  You won't be able to open your own practice and the market is about to be flooded with out of work dentists.   The dental mills are on their way out… and that leaves you no where to go… A 'Dentist Without A Country' so to speak.

Those of you who are locked in because of student loans, here is your chance to change your ways and find another job and if it were me, I would have done it yesterday.  It's only my opinion, but it's an informed opinion.

Here is what is about to happen:

Currently FORBA VIP's are making the rounds to each clinic with their power-point presentation.  First thing you want to realize is they are going to make this sound fantastic for you, but it is NOT.  They are about to sell you a bag of bullshit, just as they've sold their services to all those poor children and their parents.  FORBA speaks with forked tongue, not sometimes, but always.  You surely know by now you are not working for the most above board company in the world.

In this presentation they are going to tell you it's all on you from now on.  You probably already know this, since FORBA forced you to sign the Corporate Integrity Agreement, they chose to sign with Health and Human Services. 

You are going to have no base salary, no holiday pay, no paid time off, no weekend pay, and NO vacations.  You are about to be paid only a percentage of your production, somewhere between 17 and 24 percent. 

This is FORBA's way of washing their hands clean and hanging you out to dry.  Not to worry, Dr. Stephen Adair will hang you out to dry in a New York minute or quicker if FORBA needs him to do so.  He will say whatever they tell him to say to hang any problems or issues that come up on Y.O.U.

(remember, Dr. Stephen Adair is a NON-practicing dentist, put a drill in his hands and he wouldn't know what to do with it, but he, like me, can sure write or talk about it.  The only people who are impressed with him are other nonpracticing dentists, and they are as useless as screen door on a submarine.)

Remember why FORBA and its Small Smiles clinics have been able to make a billions by it's quantity, not quality care. 

FORBA is going to tell you that they are having to do this because of the Compliance Agreement they signed with the government.  That is not true and I suggest you read the agreement, here. 

If patients don't show up, you don't make any money.  If FORBA fails to bill correctly or fraudulently you get screwed.  Who do you think they are going to say submitted the fraudulent billing, yes, Y.O.U. 

If you think they are breathing down your neck now for production, imagine what is about to come your way.

You will be required to stay at the clinic whether patients show or not.  You will only get paid once a month and that will be what FORBA says you made.  You will also be 'on call' at all times.  Just as if you owned your own private practice.

They are going to tell you they are being forced to do this because of all the expenses they are incurring from having to hire so many public relations companies and law firms.  What they won't tell  you is how much they pay various lobbyist.  Remember they are incurring these expenses because they have stolen millions and millions and millions of dollars of our tax dollars, that includes your tax dollars!  Nothing like getting screwed twice and not even a kiss.

These changes are going to hit Colorado and Indiana first in a 15 clinic startup plan.  FORBA will roll it out for the rest of the company this fall and be completely in place at all clinics by January 2011.

When they come to visit you, ask questions and lots of them.  They are shifting all the responsibility on your shoulders while they call you daily and demand more production. 

You will no longer be able to treat per your education and medical judgment.  You will be required to apply statistical treatment methods on ALL patients.  Other than knowing how to use the equipment in the facility, you won't need to know a thing about dentistry.  They will tell you exactly what you can do and what you can't do, no judgment or patient evaluation needed. Just follow the flow chart treatment.

Of course they are going to paint a wonderful picture with visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads, and make no mistake sugar plums are all that are in any of their heads…

If they can't sell this to you, they go belly up.  Be on guard! Be job hunting and save your soul from damnation and nullify your contract when asked and do it with glee!

Related Article

Report of Fayetteville Smile Starters Abusing Another Child

Yesterday, another child was abused and traumatized at Smile Starters in Fayetteville, North Carolina.  This child's father is a member of our military serving our country with pride.

The abusers were dental assistants Sonya and Christy and the dentist Dr. Rafael (Raf) Rivera, Michael DeRose and Tish Ballance's hand picked successor to run their Smile Starter clinics.
Until yesterday this was a bright and energetic 29 month old  little boy, today he's bruised, scratched, withdrawn, not eating and having other intestinal track issues.

I called the Fayetteville office – 910-864-9884 to see if they had any comment, Debbie at the office, said they did not.

Tricare contracts with this house of horrors to provide dental services to our military families.  SHAME on TriCare, SHAME of The Department Of Defense, but most of all SHAME on The North Carolina Dental Board for not closing the doors on these places.  The board knows full well what happens to children here.

Still on it…

It's been a few days since I've posted anything.  I injured my wrist.  But make no mistake, I'm still on this issue.  If the doors of these places are still open you can count on the fact I'm still on it.

DeRose Backed Facility Kills A Man - Cardiolory Now to be Renamed Flatline Now?

 Cardiology Now 

A DeRose backed medical facility in Pueblo kills a man on Thursday July 1, 2010.

A gentlemen who should have had further testing BEFORE any stress testing, was put through a stress test today and killed.  Dead. Thanks to the DeRose family and Dr. James Sbarbaro, a family is shredded, Mike, Dan and Dr. James are sleeping peacefully at home. 

When is someone going to put these people behind bars and keep them from abusing and killing people!??

This DeRose style drive thru medicine is KILLING PEOPLE!!!!

Flatline Now

OHSA Whistleblower Contact Info

Just in case anyone needs this...  (wink) here is the OSHA whistlerblower information:

http://www.osha.gov/dep/oia/whistleblower/index.html

FORBA Holding, requesting donations from employees due to hard times. Passing On The Smiles

This is a great one!  Ya just gotta love some of the cool things FORBA comes up with…

So far turnover in 2010  is at a record high is some of it's clinics…and now we have the "Hardship Contribution Fund".  Its official name is "Pass The Smiles" .

I'm told FORBA is asking their employees to contribute a percentage of their paychecks to a 'fund' that will go to employees who suffer hardships and it will be at FORBA's discretion on who gets it and when.

Of course not a soul is buying that this 'fund' is for anything other than to help FORBA with fines, legal expenses and keep money in the bank.  

So far FORBA has not crossed the line in 'forcing' employees to contribute, but I'm hearing those who decided not to participate are being frowned and seen as not being a team player in their respective offices.   Sounds like duress to me.  

FORBA doesn't care about employees having hard times!  They don't care if children are abused and mistreated, tied up and chocked so they sure as hell don't care about Jenny in Macon whose house is flooded.  

Who is tracking all these donations?  How are employees supposed to trust you…75% hate going to work everyday!  How many have quite in the last month, this week?  A crap load!

Do you honestly think they believe you want to help out employees, noooooooooooo they think you want to steal money from them as you did Medicaid!

C'mom! 

Dead Children In Dental Chair Preventable? Talking Points Memo From AAPD

The aftermath of yesterday’s post, that was supposed to be in your face shocking, has generated some of the longest emails I’ve received in a long time.  All from people who are frustrated nothing is being done to stop these needless deaths.  Some believe there is a cover-up by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.  Probably more like "turn that light off", don't shine it over this way.   Many expect the number to rise because of the Medicaid dental mills spreading faster than I can list them across the US. 

The carelessness that caused these deaths happens in just about every operatory room all day every day, with each child that is separated from their parent and taken back to that dreaded room and the dreaded papoose board.