PR pushback supposedly “after” FRONTLINE aired

Twenty five minutes after FRONTLINE’s “Dollars and Dentists” aired at 10PM Eastern Time, a link to a “rebuttal” landed in my inbox. Amazingly, June Thomas, it’s author, doesn’t know night from day. She watched the FRONTLINE “Dollars and Dentists” tonight, at 12:32PM.  Just saying… 

Hurricane of reports - Private Equity Dentistry in the news– Week of June 25, 2012

Not a good week for criminal dentistry.
 Texas dental Medicaid scandal far from over – Monday June 25, 2012

Dental Abuse of U.S. Poor Dodges Ejection from Medicaid – Tuesday June 26, 2012

March 13, 2012 – Letter from OIG to Sheila Sawyer and Lorri Steiner of Small Smiles Dental
May 15, 2012 – Agreement with OIG Re: Manassas Clinic to Sheila Sawyer and Lorri Steinerof Small Smiles Dental

                                                               Collection of Documents

Dollars and Dentists – FRONTLINE Tuesday June 26, 2012
Check your local listing for air time
Live Chat Wednesday June 27, 2012 @ 2:30 Eastern Time with Miles O'Brien, and Center for Public Integrity reporter David Heath. You can submit questions right now by visiting here.
http://www.iwatchnews.org/2012/06/26/9224/live-chat-dollars-and-dentists

                                                                  Collection of Documents

 

Patients, Pressure and Profits at Aspen Dental – Tuesday June 26, 2012

Truth is a far cry from the reported wonderful benefits of working at Aspen printed last Friday on Dr. Bicuspid, quoting Dr. John Notarianni, DDS 

Complaints About Kids Care Follow Kool Smiles – Tuesday June 26, 2012

Kool Smiles Response fails to address concerns.

Attorney General files lawsuits related to WFAA dental investigations - Tuesday June 26, 2012

Texas AG lawsuits spurred by WFAA dental investigation – June 26, 2012

Corporate dental chains see profitable market treating poor kids and adults – Tuesday June 26, 2012


Anesthesia deaths – Nightline Wednesday June 27, 2012Check your local listing for time

         CANCELED (again)

Ocean Dental dentist, Robin Lockwood accused of Medicaid Fraud–Oklahoma City

…more on the Ocean Dental arrest

KFOR-TV June 21, 2012
Posted on: 5:34 pm, June 21, 2012, by La'Tasha Givens, updated on: 07:41am, June 22, 2012

OKLAHOMA CITY — A local dentist from a popular chain is accused of falsifying documents to cheat the Medicaid system out of money. Officials say they are seeing an increase in this kind of scam. Robin Lockwood, D.D.S. is one of the latest to be charged. While working at an office on the 1600 block of Southwest 74th Street investigators say Lockwood “engaged in a scheme to defraud Medicaid by submitting claims for dental services she did not provide.” She no longer works at the office and the company says it’s cooperating with authorities.

But NewsChannel 4 found another office near Lockwood’s home that bears her name. No one answered the door or returned our phone call. Investigators says Lockwood isn’t the only doctor trying pad their paycheck on taxpayer’s dime. Susan Rogers Executive Director of Oklahoma State Board of Dentistry said, “Medicaid fraud is a very big problem in Oklahoma right now among dentistry. We have one case where a child was diagnosed with having two cavities behind their front teeth and the dentist in question capped 15 teeth within an hour (not typical according to officials). The ex-rays don’t show there were cavities or caries.”

CSHM–Small Smiles Dental May 2012 Operations Report as filed in Middle Tennessee Bankruptcy court.

Church Street Health Management May 2012 Expense/Operation Report Doc 435

OCEAN DENTAL is throwing their dentists to the wolves.

To ALL Dentists!
So you want to work for a corporate dental chain? Better think twice. Dr. Robin Lockwood is now facing 10 years in prison and $250,000 fine all for trying to meet those production quotas. What are you doing to meet yours?

June 21, 2012

OKLAHOMA CITY—Robin R Lockwood, 44, a dentist from Oklahoma City, has been charged with committing health care fraud, announced Sanford C Coats, United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.

Lockwood is a dentist licensed to practice in the state of Oklahoma and was employed under contract by Ocean Dental at offices located at 1610 Southwest 74th Avenue, Oklahoma City. Ocean Dental’s dentists provided dental care to Medicaid-eligible children. The Medicaid Program is a cooperative program that provides federal and state funds to pay for health care benefits for individuals with insufficient incomes to meet the costs of necessary medical expenses. In Oklahoma, Medicaid is administered as “SoonerCare” by the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA), a state governmental agency.

 

Ocean Dental Dentist charged with Medicaid Fraud

Let this be a HUGE warning to all you dental mill dentists out there, trying to meet those production goals for your bonus – you are the low hanging fruit – you will be the one charged with fraud.

 

An Oklahoma City dentist has been charged in a complaint of committing health care fraud

Oklahoma City dentist Robin Lockwood, 44, has been charged in a complaint of committing health care fraud at Ocean Dental.

FROM STAFF REPORTS | Published: June 21, 2012

An Oklahoma City dentist has been charged with committing health care fraud, authorities announced Wednesday.

Robin Lockwood, 44, is accused of defrauding Medicaid by submitting claims for dental services she didn't provide, according to a news release issued by U.S. Attorney Sandford Coats.

The news release states the fraud occurred from July 2007 through December 2010 while Lockwood was employed by Ocean Dental, 1610 SW 74. The clinic provides dental care to Medicaid-eligible children and submits claims for reimbursement to the Oklahoma Health Care Authority. The dentists are reimbursed based on the treatment notes they write for each patient.

Lockwood was charged on a complaint that she submitted notes about treatments she hadn't done. Relying on Lockwood's treatment notes, Ocean Dental submitted claims for reimbursement to Medicaid and paid her a percentage of those reimbursements.

If convicted, Lockwood faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Read more: http://newsok.com/an-oklahoma-city-dentist-has-been-charged-in-a-complaint-of-committing-health-care-fraud/article/3686174#ixzz1yRAMVaZr

Personally, I wish it had been that nasty woman, Megann Scott, DDS.

Dentist, Dr. Marieve Rodriguez, sentenced to 9 months in jail for Medicaid fraud and loss of license

A prominent Wilmington dentist was sentenced to nine months in prison Wednesday for a years-long fraud that bilked the state’s Medicaid program of more than $71,900.

Marieve Rodriguez, who had negotiated a plea agreement that only called for home confinement, broke down after Superior Court Judge John A. Parkins Jr. announced the sentence, leaning on one of her attorneys for support. Parkins said he was sending a message that such sustained, methodical fraud will be severely punished.

Rodriguez, who operates Gentle Care Family Dentistry on Gilpin Avenue, Wilmington, will lose her medical license for a year. Her sentence also includes a $100,000 fine, repaying prosecution costs of $49,000, paying $71,900 restitution, and 600 hours of community service.

Delaware Online

Byron Harris update on dental Medicaid fraud in Texas

June 20, 2012

Read Byron’s complete report here at WFAA

Two days after a Canadian Private Equity firm buys Orpharma, registered users get email on how to increase sales to fix your gum “pockets”

Valeant buys Orapharma for $312 million. 

I have been told there is no real scientific evidence to any of this Arestin stuff. And if I remember right the American Heart Association came out earlier this year and announced there was no real evidence associated with heart disease as you may be told.

I don’t have a clue either way. What I know is a Private Equity firm out of Canada is suggesting high pressure sales tactics the public should be made aware of.Just like the public needs to be aware of the drug companies and their sales techniques - which are many times very dangerous – the public needs to know this.

Here is just one of Arestin's sales training videos.

Ocean Dental–bomb shelter offices more like sweat shops

From RipOff Report:

Ocean Dental advertises for Medicaid and has commercials that attract children with Medicaid.  They have a call center that takes their calls.  They train these young representatives to not let the caller know they are on the phone with a call center.  Ocean Dental wants the patient or parent to be tricked into thinking they are talking to a nurse in the clinic.  In all actuality you are speaking to someone who knows nothing about your child, nothing about Medicaid, and nothing concerning dental terminology or illnesses caused by tooth decay.  The purpose of the call center is just to real you in onto their schedule, so that they can give you a 7 minute cleaning and take your Medicaid.  Someone from the Kentucky, Louisianna, or Ohio area can call and will get the call center in Stillwater, Oklahoma.  The representatives in this call center, which is located in a bomb shelter and set up under a bank, has never seen the clinics and do not know what they look like.  They have only heard the voices of the people that work the front desk.  How sketchy for a dental practice to take advantage of Medicaid patients because they know that these people are low income and welfare based.  Something should be done about the quality of that working environment.  They seldom have water and have to walk up a large set of steep steps to get to the bathroom which is shared amongst the Ocean Dental reps and the bank workers.  Eight hours of work underground with no breaks.  This place is worse than a Chinese sweat shop.  The best advice from a worker who currently works there is if you care about your child’s dental needs DO NOT take them to Ocean Dental.