Here is what a typical paycheck for a dentist who is labeled as an "owner" of one of these Medicaid dental mills. This would be for a 2 week/80 hours pay period.
Jane Doe
Regular Pay $7500.00
Administrative Fee $5000.00 (depending on how many clinics they lend their name to)
Bonus $3750.00 (meeting productions goals and file audits)
$16,250.00
Think the "administrative fee" is really "license rental" payments?
January 26, 2011
Assistant Attorney Generals Tony West and Lanny Breuer appear before the Judiciary Committee with a recap of funds recovered on behalf of the taxpayer in 2010. You can read the full statement here.
Needless to say, Church Street Health Management f/k/a FORBA Holdings and their Small Smiles dental clinics settlement came up in the statement. It was one year ago this month that Small Smiles settled an investigation which began in late 2007 with the Feds for $24 million, as well as settled with the state of NY for another $2 million.
Watch full session here, session begins at 28 minutes in, so move slider bar forward.
Senator Leahy says he wants to see these people go to jail, he compares it to a person who steals a car, who goes to jail.
Senator Grassley wants answers about settlements, who agreed to them and if they are nothing more than the cost of doing business.
Me too, Senator Grassley, me too!
Mr. West said when it comes to Corporate Fraud, they wanted to make it a financial deterrent for corporations committing fraud.
Sen. Leahy wanted to know what was being done to put them in jail!
Published : Tuesday, 25 Jan 2011, 4:32 PM CST
PASADENA, Texas - A former dentist operating out of Pasadena has been sentenced to a year and a day in prison for health care fraud on Monday.
What Did the Former Dentist Do?
David Lloyd Gonzales Jr., 47, was accused of fraudulently billing Medicaid for dental work he did not perform, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice . The work included:
Gonzales Jr. was suspended from the Medicaid program in 2005. He was later tried and convicted on Aug. 2010 of 22 counts of health care fraud, and aiding and abetting health care fraud.
He surrendered his dental license to the Texas Dental Board following his conviction.
Other Punishments in Store for Former Dentist
In addition to prison time, Gonzalez Jr. must also:
Gonzalez Jr. has been permitted to remain on bond pending his transfer to a prison facility.
Marissa’s grandmother, Mona, sent me this lovely picture of her and Marissa.
From the Morning Journal
By ADAM MAWSON
amawson@MorningJournal.com
LORAIN — Friends of 13-year-old Marissa Kingery’s family are having a benefit to help her family with expenses due to her tragic death.
“Marissa was our babysitter, and we thought the world of her and my children thought the world of her,” Christina Lilly, who is organizing the benefit with her husband, said. “It’s absolutely devastating. We just wanted…
According to the List of Excluded Individuals and Entities (LEIE) it was March 2010 before William A. Mueller, DDS, one of the founders of Small Smiles Dental Centers was excluded from the Medicaid program.
It was August 2010, before Michael A. DeRose, former DDS and another co-founder of Small Smiles Dental Centers was excluded. Why? Why did it take so long?
However, now that each of these individual are excluded, it would be illegal for either to hide under a stack of corporations concealing their ownership and control of any clinic or facility that bills Medicaid for services. Just saying.
Don't believe me, see NY-AG press release July 16, 2009.
So, your doing a procedure …
It is simply not ok to do nothing to stop this unacceptable treatment of children.
The only way to stop a child from being tied down, smacked around and abused in the dental chair of an abusive dentist clinic in the morning is to do something today.
Sleep at night does not come easy for those who know about this legalized child abuse. Why? Because we know there are thousands of innocent babies who are going to be strapped in a papoose board tomorrow. We know they will be hit, yelled at, smacked, bruised, grabbed, and have horrible frightening threats whispered in their ears, if they don’t submit to the abuser.
Watch the video on the right of this blog entry. That is either your child or one sitting in these house of horrors right now. Many can’t even watch the video all the way through. Why? Because it is like watching a child being raped!
Imagine the horror to a 4 year old child’s psyche hearing "you be still or you will never see your mommy again.” The only way to come down on the wrong side of a right situation is to do nothing.Imagine the everlasting terror of the 3 year old child who was terrified of the dark. What did the dentist do to mentally break the child? She tied the child up in a papoose board, turned off the lights left that baby alone for 20 minutes, maybe more.
Heart rates of children reach over 200 beats per minute. It’s dangerous, it’s deadly.
Their prey is your child, under age 5 is preferably. The reason is because the tortures told to parents by the children can be easily discounted by the folks dressed in medical scrubs and white coats. Children’s complaints are far too often dismissed. If your child told you the some adult played with their private parts would you believe them? You better! This is no different.
A dentist who used to work at one of these dental mills asked this:
How many 1-3 year olds have to be papoosed and have the heart rates pushing 200 beats per minute with petechiae (small blood vessels burst from trauma; around the face, gums, ankles, arms, and stomach where they are being held too tightly) formed on the face one and cyanosis (bluished lips and mucus membrane) before one dies. Papoosed or not, one major factor not being address is that with a child stressed to this point, in order to treat them, you have to hold the heads still. When this happens the patient has no control over their airway. When water is sprayed they fell like they are choking which gets them more excited which feeds on itself and makes them want to move more which takes more force to hold and so on and so on. When all that was needed was to stop treatment!
Had people banded together years ago,this type of treatment of children would not have become such a cancer in dentistry. The only treatment for this social cancer I see is for people to take it to the courts. Until this abuse is brought from the shadows and into the light with it’s not likely to become a criminal act worthy of a jail sentence anytime soon.
These dentists and their supervisors need to be in jail. However, until this abuse is brought from the shadows and into the light by victims and parents, it’s not likely to become a criminal act worthy of a jail sentence anytime soon.That is why your participation is so very important.
It is so important to join a list of victims.
Learning one child has been mistreated is one thing. Bringing to light hundreds of thousands have been treated like this and the the abuse continues is something else!
It’s natural to hate to get involved in controversy. We all do it. It’s natural to want to keep the peace so to speak. We don’t want to offend friends or family who feel differently or have another view of a situation. It’s usually fear or embarrassment that keeps up quiet. It’s those same emotions that make us vulnerable to exploitation too.
We have been told things like:
Hogwash! These abusive dentists are exploiting these beliefs to bring harm to children; your children!
Plea for the children
If you could ask your child, they would tell you to do something to stop this. They would not want their friends to suffer this treatment. Children trust parents and guardians to protect them. Since you couldn’t protect them yesterday, because you didn’t know, please show them you are doing everything you can to protect them tomorrow. Sitting idle is not doing that.
Doing nothing to stop an atrocity is an atrocity.
By not taking action, what are parents telling their children?
Submit to your abuser?
You don’t matter?
It’s ok to be abused?
Don’t rock the boat, no matter who abuses you?
I certainly hope not!
Q & A
Question: How many children have been abused over the last 10 years, hundreds of thousands?
Answer: Oh, yes! Probably more.
Question: How has this cancer been allowed to take root in the dental community? Because no one spoke up?
Answer: Yes, if you want the simplest answer.
Question: Could anyone have stopped your child from the abuse they suffered at the hands of these abusive greedy dentists?
Answer: Yes. If the parents of the child who the dentist abused the day; the week; or the month before had come forward and filed a lawsuit against Dr. Dove, your child would have been spared the terror. This terror is something they will carry with them for years to come. This is something I know about personally. You never completely trust anyone again. Ever.
Question: Why did so many stay silent? Is it “I don’t want to get involved syndrome?” The same syndrome that allows people to stand on the street and watch a helpless person be beat to death?
Answer: Yes, sometimes that is exactly the reason. However, many times its because they don’t know where to turn. It also can because parents are afraid their child is going to end up on the witness stand in some courtroom full of strangers. Maybe they are afraid the media will be at their door and they will be displayed all over the local news.
Question: Is this a realistic view?
Answer: I don’t think that is realistic. Civil lawsuits - individual cases or class actions - are filed in your local courts by the hundreds, how many can you name? The courts are very protective. This really comes down to negotiating a settlement between the attorney representing the children and attorney’s for the dentists malpractice insurance company. The local news reporters are more respective than people give them credit I think. If they were even to take an interest-maybe a slow news day-they ask. If you want to speak on camera you can, but the chance they will be chasing you down and putting microphones in your face is zero. The Casey Anthony fiasco gave the wrong impression, it’s NOT like that at all.
Question: How can hammering their malpractice insurance company end the abuse?
Answer: I think It’s as simple as those who have their car insurance canceled. At first the premiums go through the roof, then the company will drop you completely. Without malpractice insurance, he can not practice. The abuse is not going to stop with a few complaints to the dental board, its going to take hitting them in the pocketbook. Hitting them hard!
The only way to stop the abuse of a child tomorrow is to take action today. You do have the power in your hand to safe a child.Question: Won’t I end up on some black list and unable to find proper dental care for myself or my child?
Answer: I wouldn’t consider it likely. Other dentists would have to search several county and federal court databases for every patient they see to find if you had sued a health professional.
Question: How can it make a difference for children in a state across the country if I sue my dentist where I live?
Answer: Maybe not all all, but more than likely you can make major impact. The more who join a larger suit the better the chances of making a difference from sea to shining sea. One complaint is one thing, 100 complaints gets the attention of the powers that be.
Not often do people have the opportunity to change the future. When you get that chance, take it.
I pray people make a better world for the children of tomorrow, and I mean in the morning, not years from now.
