Michael David Goodwin is scheduled to be arraigned August 23, 2012 @ 9:30AM before Magistrate Judge Clinton Averitte.
An Amarillo orthodontist has been indicted in a Medicaid fraud scheme.
Sixty-three year-old Dr. Michael David Goodwin, who practices in Amarillo, Texas and Crown Point, Indiana, has been charged with 11 counts of health care fraud in a federal indictment.
According to Wednesday’s federal indictment, between 90 and 95 percent of Goodwin’s orthodontics’ patients were Medicaid beneficiaries.
The indictment alleges that from January 2008 through March 2011, Goodwin fraudulently billed the Texas Medicaid program for more than $2 million for services which he claimed were provided, when he knew that some services were not medically necessary, or were provided by dental assistants and no dentist or orthodontist was there to supervise.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s office, Goodwin practiced two weeks per month at each practice, and would regularly schedule more than 100 patients per day, and intentionally scheduled large numbers of Medicaid patients for days when he was to be out of town.
Goodwin would then reportedly have dental assistants perform impermissible acts such as comprehensive examinations, diagnoses, and treatment planning for Medicaid patients, knowing that only licensed dentists were permitted to perform those services.
He then allegedly billed Medicaid as the performing provider for all services.
The indictment also asserts that he had his employees submit forms that fraudulently stated that some patients had a medical need for braces, when they actually were for cosmetic purposes only. Goodwin also supposedly hired substitute general dentists that were not enrolled Medicaid providers.
The U.S. Attorney’s office says that Medicaid patients were not treated equally, as Goodwin personally examined patients who paid cash for their treatment, while he reportedly only examined Medicaid patients every third appointment or less.
Each health care fraud count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, if convicted. Goodwin could also be required to forfeit more than $1,558,000, as well as the more than $244,000 seized in May and July 2011 from Goodwin’s accounts.
If you don't have enough sense to call your Attorney General's office and find out who and where to refer criminal dentists, please do the public a favor and get the hell out of the office, go home, find a nice rocking chair and stop stealing taxpayer dollars going to work everyday and drawing a paycheck, you are useless!!
It's your damn job to know where to refer the criminals! If the AG's office is calling you for information you know you can't handle the job, so do they.
You have to ask questions, run down leads, check thing out, etc..to investigate! You also must have a working brain! You are in way over your head, get out now!
If you are too big of an idiot to do something as simple as make a phone call, how do you find your way to your office everyday? No, the missing pet division at the humane society can't use you either.
To the idiot Governor who appointed you, if keeping criminal dentists on the street was your goal, job well done!! Maybe a PET scan to ensure a working brain should be done before appointments to the board. Clearly, breathing is not a sign of intelligence.
If I owned stock in Birner's Perfect Teeth I'd unload it ASAP. Especially if I were an employee and has purchased stock, you might be holding a big bag of nothing!
This is an excerpt from today's report to their shareholders:
For the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2012, revenue was negatively impacted by a decrease in the number of patient visits in the offices relative to the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2011. Additionally, for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2012, patients accepted less expensive treatment relative to the prior periods. The Company believes this is due to a general weakness in the economy in its markets.
From an employee's perspective:
The offices were negatively impacted by poor dentist/management relations due to poor management decisions. This is especially true in light of their "Dental $34 Special", which has flooded the clinics with low pay patients that don't have the money for extensive treatment due to years of neglect from not seeing a dentist. The special was only to last for a few months last fall but has continued to this day as a promotional tool that only fills the schedule with low pay or non-pay patients...go figure..
Posted: Aug 13, 2012 4:19 PM CDT Updated: Aug 13, 2012 4:19 PM CDT
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - New York authorities say a Brooklyn dentist has pleaded guilty to fraud, admitting he paid recruiters to solicit homeless Medicaid patients with cash.
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli say dentist Lawrence J. Bruckner of Plainview has also admitted failing to pay taxes on payments he received from other dentists who worked at his clinics.
They say the 62-year-old Bruckner is expected to pay nearly $700,000 in restitution and face jail time.
Sentencing is set for November in Kings County Court, where his company, Premier Dental PC, entered guilty pleas to grand larceny and violating social services law.
Investigators say Bruckner submitted hundreds of false claims to the Medicaid program.
Windham resident John Bassett turned himself in to police Monday after a warrant was issued for an alleged assault on a child at his Salem, N.H. office in May.
Bassett, 63, operates a dental practice at 32 Stiles Road. He was charged with one count of simple assault and released on $1,000 personal recognizance.
According to police, they received a report on May 18 at about 2:15 p.m. from a a mother that her 8-year-old son was touching some glass jars on a counter that held dentistry equipment during a follow-up appointment at Bassett's office.
Police said the boy opened the lid to one of the jars and started pulling out gauze.
According to the child's mother, Bassett yelled, "We don't do that here!" and slapped the boy on the back with an open hand.
Immediately, police said the mother grabbed her son and left the office. Outside, she found a large, red welt and the shape of a hand on his back. Police said they photographed the injury and returned home.
Salem detectives conducted a follow-up investigation and determined an assault had taken place. An arrest warrant was issued, charging Bassett with a Class A misdemeanor.
ReachOut Healthcare America under fire again. When will those who can, do something?
Though no name of the company operating the mobile dental clinic is mention, it is ReachOut Healthcare America, based in Farmington, MI.
ReachOut Healthcare America is under investigation by Senator Charles Grassley’s office. (see letters Sen. Grassley has sent to ReachOut on the right)
If you work or have worked for ReachOut Healthcare America and do nothing to protect people like Andrew in this story, or little Isaac in Arizona it’s your duty to speak out. Please do so, everyday children, the handicapped and the elderly are being abused! Do something! I beg of you!
What was the point of this story by WOOD-TV News 8 if they wouldn’t mention the name of the company? Why did News 8 leave the investigation of this company out of the story? It’s your duty as well to warn the public that a company owned by Morgan Stanley is doing this to the most vulnerable people in America.
If I weren’t posting the name, right here, right now, no one would have a clue what company did this to Andrew. For God’s sake people, wake the hell up, get off your butts and speak up!
Transitions Dental Company (TDC) presents itself to be a company that will help dentists own their own clinics. It’s website says –
Graduate>>Employee>>Owner
However, I think it’s another whack-a-doodle” company; the new grad being the “doodle”. I can’t find where any clinic they list on their website has ever been owned by anyone other than Transitions Dental Company. So “Graduate Beware”, you won’t make it past “employee”!
I believe it is a scam company operated by three couples - The Kruegers, The Meldrums and The Mitchells. I say this, first, because they have recycled the following business names several times since Transition Dental registered to do business in Indiana in 2005, and not once has the ownership ever left that of Transitions Dental Company. Second, the three couple are the “owners” “the corporate operators” and the “regional managers”.
Alpine Woods Family Dental – Frankfort, IN Crest View Family Dental – Bloomington, IN Fair Oaks Creek Family Dental – Columbus, IN Glenbrook Family Dentistry – Fort Wayne, IN Highland Creek Family Dental - Lafayette, IN Lakeland Creek Family Dental - Merrillville, IN Maple Creek Family Dental - Kokomo, IN Sagamore Meadows Family Dental - West Lafayette, IN Scatterfield Meadows Family Dental – Anderson, IN Silhavy Creek Family Dental – Valparaiso, IN Stoney Creek Family Dental – Muncie, IN University Meadows Family Dental, Mishawaka, IN
About the company:
Transitions Dental Company 200 Kingston Drive West Lafayette, IN 47906 765-807-0580 Established 2005
Founders and Officers:
Daniel W. Krueger Owner – President Karri Krueger Owner – SVP Brad T. Meldrum – SVP (banker) Penny Meldrum – Corporate Secretary since 2005 according to bio ( wife of Brad) James Pruitt – Executive Office Assistant
Team:
Lisa Mitchell – Southern Regional Manager (wife of Neal) Neal Mitchell – Northern Regional Manager (husband of Lisa) Natalie Odel – Regional Manager Danielle Greives – Re-Care Trainer Tricia French – Expanded Functions Dental Assistant Trainer Diego Calderon – IT Manager Abdur Razzak – IT Technician
I can only hope so. Not that I’m all tore up and concerned about Levine Leichtman. I just find it lip smackin’ good to see another private equity firm that may well get burned over the illegal practice of “Corporate Dentistry”. Levine Leichtman operated dental clinics under the following names:
Gentle Dental Smile Keepers Capital Dental Blue Oak Dental Group Mountain View Dental Affordable Dental Care Dedicated Dental Systems Incorporated
Also associated with InterDent is Northwest Management Services. Levine Leichtman Capital Press Release:
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 8, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- Levine Leichtman Capital Partners (LLCP) announced today the closing of the sale of InterDent, Inc. to H.I.G. Middle Market, LLC.
InterDent, Inc. is a leading dental practice support organization ("DSO") in the United States. The Company provides support services to over 145 affiliated dental offices in eight western states including California, Oregon, and Washington. InterDent's affiliated offices benefit from professional management, economies of scale, superior information systems, and specialization of functions. Its network delivers comprehensive dentistry to over one million patients annually, including general, orthodontics, periodontics, endodontics, pedodontics, prosthodontics, and oral surgery.
"The InterDent investment has been very successful for our partners, our management team and all of the Company's stakeholders. We are proud of the successes the company has achieved over the past years and believe the growth will continue with HIG's support," said Lauren Leichtman, CEO of LLCP. "We are also pleased to provide a very attractive return to LLCP's investors through an exit that underscores our commitment to investing in the middle market."
Seriously?! According to the WSJ, Levine Leichtman Capital Partners invested in 2000. They filed for bankruptcy in 2003. Prior to the bankruptcy they owned and operated 226 dental offices in 14 states and now operate 145 dental offices in 8 states.
In 2008. InterDent entered into a 5 year Corporate Integrity Agreement with the Office of Inspector General due to fraudulent billing by at least two of it’s Dedicated Dental clinics in California. They also agreed to pay $364,500 in restitution and pay $364,500 in damages. The 5 year Corporate Integrity Agreement expires on June 20, 2013.
John Steinbrun signed the Corporate Integrity Agreement as President and CEO of InterDent, Inc and InterDent Service Corporation and Scott Breman signed as President and CEO of Dedicated Dental Systems Incorporated.
I’m sorry, but bankruptcy, a corporate integrity agreement with the OIG, downsizing by 1/3, and numerous lawsuits is considered “very successful” for partners, management or stakeholders.
DALLAS - "Something needs to be done before one of these children dies," Brenda Flores said.
Flores is tough, smart, and protective of her grandson, Isaac. When he didn't come home until after dark one day last March, she was about to call for an Amber Alert.
It turns out, fifteen-year-old Isaac had been taken from his neighborhood to a southeast Dallas dental clinic without her permission.
Isaac, who has severe ADD and asthma, was approached on March 6 by a man in a van.
"'I can give you $10, and a $50 dollar gift card later, and a pizza to take home,'" Isaac quoted the man as saying.
All Isaac had to do was go to the dentist. The man drove him to All About Dentistry on Scyene Road in Dallas. Billing records show All About Dentistry billed Medicaid for 25 procedures on Isaac Flores, totaling $2,041. Medicaid rules do not allow treatment of a minor without the parent or guardian's permission.
"I'm angry," Mrs. Flores said. "I'm very angry, because I'm here to protect my grandson. And he was taken off the streets without my permission. He was sedated. And he has a medical condition."
Devon Allen has a medical condition, too.
He was taken by a recruiter to All About Dentistry last month, without his mother's knowledge. Gale Allen, his mother, has now hired an attorney, Ajay Shah. "It truly shocks the conscience," Shah said. "These children have been truly impacted by this individual's actions." He now represents two parents and four children in the case, but the number may be growing.
Isaac Flores said there were other children in the van with him when he was taken to All About Dentistry last March.
Blanca Flores said she filed a police report the day of the incident, and complained to the Attorney General as well. She hasn't heard back. State Senator Royce West, (D-Dallas), urges victims to contact his office. "I won't get stonewalled by an agency, because we will make certain that those claims get investigated by the proper authorities," West said.
Dr. Hamid Farahani, who owns the clinic on Scyene Road and two other All About Dentistry clinics, denies he has done anything wrong. He said he has been audited by Medicaid five times and never found guilty of anything. He admits he owns a van and that he employs a patient recruiter.
So far, he has refused to give any of the parents involved any paperwork on their sons' treatment. E-mail bharris@wfaa.com
A dental patient from East Hartford said she was billed thousands of dollars for a procedure that was not completed. Investigators said the dental clinic in question is connected to a man charged with bilking millions of Medicaid dollars out of the government.
Maria Ruiz and her husband received a flyer for Hartford Dental Care in May. It was good timing, since Ruiz was experiencing mouth pain.
Ruiz visited the dental facility and said she was urged to sign up for a third party financing plan called Care Credit. She said the clinic prescribed her medicine and told her she needed a root canal. Ruiz said she had some work done on her mouth, but she never received the full root canal after three visits to Hartford Dental Care.
"I also asked them why they didn't fix my teeth and they told me they will call me in two weeks," Ruiz said through an interpreter.
By then it was too late. Hartford Dental Care appeared to have permanently shut its doors.
A Connecticut Attorney General investigation resulted in federal agents arresting the owner, Gary Anusavice. Anusavice was charged with running a $20 million Medicaid fraud scheme at his clinics in West Haven, Trumbull and Stamford, which also appear to have closed.
"It's not clear that everybody who worked for these clinics were consciously aware that Anusavice was behind it all," said Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen.
However, Ruiz got stuck with a near $3,800 bill from Care Credit. The Connecticut State Dental Association said a root canal would not cost that much by itself.
Through an emailed statement, Anusavice's lawyer said Ruiz's treatment was probably discontinued not because of fraud, but because the clinic was shut down after the government terminated its Medicaid practicing rights.
But Ruiz and her husband told the Troubleshooters she was not on Medicaid.
Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley obtained a judgment against Anusavaice in 2010, claiming Anusavice and others lured patients in with deceptive marketing, pressured patients to agree to costly dental treatments, then failed to complete the procedures or provided shoddy treatment.
Sound familiar?
"If they will ever do the treatment on me, if they get the work done on my teeth, then, yes, I will pay them, but how am I going to pay something that they never did," Ruiz said.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts required Anusavice to pay $237,500 for victim restitution and penalties as a result of the judgment.
Years earlier, Anusavice sustained a felony conviction in 1997 in Massachusetts for submitting false health care claims. In 1998, the federal government also banned him from participating in Medicare and Medicaid. According to the feds, the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Dentistry permanently revoked Anusavice's license to practice dentistry in Massachusetts in 2006.
Investigators said Anusavice opened his clinics in Connecticut and used a licensed dentist to act as the nominal head. According to the indictment, Anusavice, who is not licensed to practice dentistry in Connecticut, even reviewed patient charts and suggested dental procedures.
"They were fraudulently, in effect, billing the federal government for services," Jepsen said.
It's a big concern to the Connecticut State Dental Association.
"Anytime even one or two of these providers is alleged to have committed fraud, it reflects poorly on our profession as a whole," said CSDA president Dr. Carolyn Malon.
Jury selection for Anusavice's trial starts next January. He faces up to twenty years in federal prison if convicted.
The Troubleshooters contacted Care Credit, which then got in touch with Ruiz. Care Credit told the Troubleshooters it had tried to reach Ruiz, but apparently did not have her correct phone number. Ruiz said she is no longer on the hook for the $3800 bill. Instead, she only owes $71 in dispute fees.
Care Credit said it is no longer working with Hartford Dental Care due to a pending investigation.
The Connecticut State Dental Association urges patients who are in need of a new dentist to ask friends and family members for referrals.
"They can tell you who their dentist is, whether this is somebody who they've been going to for a long time, how well they're cared for there," Malon said.
Parents and law enforcement go on high alert when reports come in about a “suspicious looking” van near schools, playgrounds or other venues where children hang out.
Who knew stranger danger for children would be kidnapping children for dental treatment. I can’t make this crap up.
Ya know how we teach children not to take candy from strangers. We can now add “free dental treatment” to that list.
WFAA
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 10:22 PM Updated yesterday at 12:10 AM
DALLAS - To treat a child under Medicaid, a dentist must have a parent's permission. But competition for Medicaid income is so fierce, some dental clinics are literally picking kids up off the street and taking them straight to the dentist's office without letting parents know.
Here's a sequence of events that transpired three weeks ago in southeast Dallas: Four boys, ages 13 through 17, were walking along a sidewalk in their neighborhood. A man, they say, drove up and asked them if they were on Medicaid. They all said yes.
The man replied, "How'd you like to make $10?"Okay, they said. "Just go to the dentists office and have your teeth cleaned," the man said. All the boys already have dentists, but the man did not ask.
They were taken by van, they say, to All About Dentistry on Scyene Road, one of three clinics owned by Dr. Hamid Farahani. The boys say they were asked to sign their mothers' names on some papers, and ultimately treated by a man they assumed was a dentist.
Once in the chair, the dentist proceeded to numb their mouths with shots, drill their teeth, and put fillings in.
"They gave me four shots," said 15-year-old Devon Allen.
Devon's mother, Gale Allen, said her son suffers from chronic asthma and has some drug allergies. Not knowing this and not asking, the dentist filled several of Devon's teeth. That night his mouth swelled up, pictures show.
Jonathan Henderson, 13, and his brothers, Reginald, 17, and Roderick, 16, also got shots and fillings that day. Roderick got four shots and eight fillings, he said. Reginald got four.
None of the boys even knew they needed fillings. "They're the dentist," Roderick said. "I thought that was right. I let 'em give me four cavities [fillings.]"
Both Reginald and Roderick already have braces on their teeth, installed by another Medicaid dentist. Reginald said his braces were broken by the dentist at All About Dentistry.
None of the boys were given any forms outlining what had been done to them.
Gale Allen, who contacted News 8, is infuriated. She's been unable to talk to the dentist, or to obtain any paperwork.
"They had no reason to approach Devon, first of all," she said. "Second of all, I'm his parent and for you to just pick up kids on the corner, that's wrong."
Regina Robertson, mother of Johnathan, Reginald and Roderick, is amazed it could happen. She said the boys are not old enough to sign any consent forms, because they're all still minors.
Mrs. Allen accompanied News 8 to the All About Dentistry clinic on Scyene.
At first, the receptionist said there was no dentist there that day, even though the clinic was clearly open. The dental licenses of two dentists were on the wall of the new facility. Finally, a Dr. Massood Shariati cracked open the door to the waiting room.
News 8 asked how his office could treat children without parental permission. "I don't know what you're talking about," Shariati said. "I treat all patients correctly, I was on the Dean's list at Baylor Dental School."
Then he ducked back behind the door. A photocopied "Baylor's Dean's List" was framed, on the waiting room wall.
The receptionist got the clinic's owner, Dr. Hamid Farahani, on the phone. He also denied the boys had been mistreated. After a heated conversation with News 8, he hung up.
In later phone conversations, he promised to produce parental permission forms, but he never did. Farahani admits he employs a "marketer" to bring in patients, but would not reveal how much the marketer is paid.
News 8 asked the mother of three toddlers at the clinic if she was being paid to bring her children to the dentist. She said yes. How much? "I don't know yet," she replied.
It is illegal to pay parents on Medicaid to bring the children. But in the murky world of Medicaid dental, it regularly happens. Parents are typically not paid by a clinic until after their children are treated.
Out in the parking lot, an unmarked van registered to Hamid Farahani matched the one the boys said picked them up. Farahani admitted to News 8 it's his. He said it's legal for a clinic to provide transportation.
Gale Allen is seething. "These people are driving around and soliciting them, and asking them do they want to make ten dollars," she said. "That's wrong."
Neither mother has been able to determine exactly what was done to their boys by All About Dentistry.
Why is this kidnapper dentist, Dr. Hamid Farahani not in jail this morning?
What about the kidnapper (recruiters)he hired. I don’t care how you cut it, Dr. Hamid hired people to kidnap children off the street and bring them to his office for “dental treatment”!
The one kid’s mom is right, they had no business approaching children at all. It’s illegal to patient shop or pay for patients in any way. Just last week at the Texas Stakeholders Quarterly Meeting, this very question was raised. The answer given was:
TAC 353.795 (d) MCO’s and providers - that would be Dr. Hamid Farahani– shall not conduct any direct contact marketing except through enrollment events. The Office of Inspector General says it’s a $10K fine per instance. (slide 78 of meeting presentation)
At that same meeting (slide 79 of the meeting presentation) it’s stated the Texas Health and Human Services Commission - Office of Inspector General is aware of this patient soliciting and is aware of the people hired to “recruit” patients. They even offer a hotline number to call to report such incidences – 1-800-436-6184.
Texas State Board of Dental Examiners, acting attorney, Sarah Carnes-Lemp talked about this as did another attorney with the board. They went into great detail about soliciting patients, gifts and such and stated clearly is was a “criminal offense”. Further “recruiters” were mentioned with a big fat “NO to recruiters”.(slide 83 of the presentation)
On slide 84, it was pointed out that the Dental Practice Act 295.005 said “Unprofessional to intimidate or exert undue pressure or undue influence over a prospective patient.” Though not specifically mentioned,but I’m thinking kidnapping would fall somewhere between NO and HELL NO. In addition, kidnapping minor children would be a “go to jail, go directly to jail” event!
HOWEVER, and this is a big however, the powers that be mentioned NOTHING, not one thing about doing anything about these “recruiters” .
WASHINGTON (AP) - Congressional investigators say thousands of Medicaid health care service providers still got paid by the government even though they owed hundreds of millions of dollars in federal taxes.
A legal technicality is making it harder for the IRS to collect.
In a report out today, the Government Accountability Office says one dentist who received more than $100,000 from Medicaid while owing back income taxes was spending lavishly on fine dining, trips, spas, shopping and wine.
Medicaid payments to doctors, hospitals and other providers aren't technically considered federal funds, since they're funneled through state health care programs.
Because of that loophole, the IRS can't just shut off the payment spigot to collect tax debts. Investigators only looked at three states, so the true extent of the losses is greater.
Allentown endodontist is driven to retirement as Pennsylvania eliminates root canal coverage through Medicaid.
Jerome Grossinger has closed his endodontistry practice (root canals)… (BEN MORRISON, THE MORNING…)
The phone is still ringing off the hook in Dr. Jerome Grossinger's quarters in an office building in Allentown's West End.
But his office isn't taking appointments.
The 77-year-old endodontist, a dentist who specializes in root canals, has relieved his patients' excruciating pain for the past 42 years, focusing in recent years on low-income and disabled people covered by Medicaid.
He is 77 for heavens sake!!! The way this story is presented you would think he was in his prime and had a wife and 4 little ones at home – two still in diapers.
But instead of treating the 15-20 new patients he'd typically see every week, Grossinger recently sat alone in his office and scanned years of patient records in bags, furniture stacked in the waiting room and the odds and ends of four decades of health care being readied for the Dumpster.
Grossinger is reluctantly calling it quits.
"I cannot believe this is happening to me," he said, recently. "I'm really in a daze about this."
Seriously!!!?? Look, Dr. Grossinger is probably a great guy and has had a thriving business for many many years, but to make him the example of Medicaid cuts??!!
Early this morning this website started getting loads of “hits” from Benco Dental. They finally decided to leave a comment - See below.
vanian1 <vanian.one@gmail.com>
I find it ironic that you would post this white paper from an ambulance chasing law firm who seeks to profit from trumped up claims in Texas. Can you see the irony in that, Ms Hagan?
What I personally find ironic is someone with the screen name vain1, was trying to hide their IP and visit anonymously!
Benco Dental News
Benco Dental Co. Wins $31,346,173 Federal Contract
Jun 7 12 Benco Dental Co. was awarded a $31,346,173 federal contract by the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, for distribution of general dental supplies for the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies.
Somnomed Ltd. and Benco Dental Co. Form Strategic Partnership
Jun 4 12 Somnomed Ltd. announced the formation of a strategic partnership with Benco Dental Co. As part of this partnership, SomnoMed will work with Benco Dental and its representatives to keep customers up-to-date on the latest developments in dental sleep medicine through in-person and online seminars with the SomnoMed Academy. Benco Dental customers will have access to SomnoMed's extensive range of products and services including; SomnoDent(R) apnea therapy, SomnoMed Health Claim Support Line, SomnoMed MATRx(TM) and SomnoBrux(TM)
Unethical Private-Equity-Owned Dental Clinics Receive Well Deserved Attention
It’s been a bad few weeks in the limelight for private equity investors masquerading on the down-low as charity dentists when what they’re really after is making millions by performing unnecessary dental work on poor kids and then getting Medicaid to pay for it. With the way everyone’s acting, you’d think it was the mortgage crisis all over again – as if working class and poor folk were nothing more than pawns in a game played by Wall Street investors, but financed with American tax dollars.
DENVER - A 9News viewer, who wanted to remain anonymous, says her husband tested positive for hepatitis C this week after a major health warning from Colorado's Public Health Department.
The positive lab results for hepatitis C, shown to 9News, comes nearly two weeks after 8,000 people received letters from Colorado's Health Department about oral surgeon Dr. Stephen Stein.
Dr. Stein is accused of re-using needles and syringes for days at a time on his patients over the course of 12 years. He had two practices - one in Denver and one in Highlands Ranch.
The 9News viewer's husband went to Dr. Stein for several procedures. His last procedure, done September of 2009, Dr. Stein pulled her husband's wisdom teeth, she said.
She received a letter from the state, much like many of Dr. Stein's other patients, saying her husband should be tested, she said.
The positive results for hepatitis C came from her husband's doctor's office this week, and they have ordered further testing.
Hepatitis C is an infection caused by a virus that attacks the liver and leads to inflammation.
"Most people infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) have no symptoms," according to the Mayo Clinic's website. "In fact, most people don't know they have the hepatitis C infection until liver damage shows up, decades later, during routine medical tests."
The 9News viewer said tests for HIV and hepatitis B came back negative for her husband.
A nurse at her husband's doctor's office said there was no definitive way to link the positive hepatitis C results to Dr. Stein's practice, she said.
A letter from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment warned patients that testing could not determine how or where patients would become infected.
To date, the health department has not released numbers of patients that might be infected after the warnings went out.
Colorado Department of Public Health Spokesman Mark Salley said they are surveying patients and will release numbers of people infected, if there are numbers to be released, next Wednesday.
Are you looking for a fun and fast paced environment (there is that “fast paced” term again. Aren’t they in enough trouble for being so “fast paced”) where you can make a difference in the lives of others? Then join our team at Small Smiles Dental Centers where we fulfill a very special undertaking-providing superior dental care to underserved children and young adults between the ages of 2 and 20. Our company mission speaks for itself - "We give America's kids the smiles they deserve". (they actually trademarked this term)
Small Smiles Dental Centers, the nation's most experienced dental provider (it’s also the nations most bankrupt and most federally investigated) to children who qualify for government insurance and has been named one of Fast Company Magazine’s 2007 (5 years ago!!!)Fast 50 Companies doing good in the world [LMAO!!!]. We have over 60 dental centers (looks like they are down 12 clinics, that’s not “fast growing”, that’s fast dropping!!) in the United States operating as individual practices (they may be operating as, but they are not individual practices, I can’t believe they are still trying to sell this horseshit!) where each team member takes our mission seriously. In order to accomplish that assignment we must hire great people! And we have an excellent opportunity for an ambitious REGISTERED NURSE to grow our state-of-the-art dental center.
Due to our continued growth, (these folks are delusional!, they have lost 12 clinics in as many months! That is NOT growth! I believe these people actually believe their own hype!) are currently seeking a REGISTERED NURSE. This state-of-the-art dental office provides quality dental care to children and young adults. We offer benefits and bonus opportunity! Spanish bilingual preferred.
Responsible for preparing post anesthesia areas for patients, monitoring patients’ vital signs, administering medications, coordinating planned nursing care with other health care team members, assisting in proper preparation of supplies, medications, and equipment, Patient Management, and Treatment Room Management.
(Scary thought of these people putting out the budget numbers, quotas for the number of sedations required each week. For instance Colorado Springs is “budgeted” $600 per day or an average of $12k a month. DC is “budgeted” $550 per day or an average of $11,500k a month, while Pueblo is "budgeted” $23k a month. However, Charleston SC is where they sedate the most, with a target of $53k a month. So when the clinics don’t make these numbers, what do you think happens? )
Requirements • Comprehensive and current knowledge of nursing theory and practice. • Thorough knowledge of and ability to implement principles of aseptic technique.
Knowledge of surgical procedures, techniques and consequent nursing interventions.
Knowledge of the policies, procedures, philosophies, goals and objectives of ambulatory surgery
Minimum of two years post anesthesia experience desired.
• Ability to approach his/her responsibilities with a rational, reasoned approach.
• Must be able to organize and prioritize assignments, duties and responsibilities.
Must be able to identify, analyze and implement effective problem-solving techniques.
Display initiative, flexibility and adaptability in his/her career approach.
Ability to maintain a cheerful, poised, professional manner in the face of adversity.
Graduate of an accredited school of nursing, licensed as a Registered Nurse or a Licensed Practical Nurse in practicing state, BCLS certified, ACLS certified REQUIRED
We reward, value [they certainly do] and invest greatly in our team members. All full-time team members are eligible for medical insurance, long and short-term disability insurance, dental, vision, and life insurance after 90 days employment. Additionally, we offer paid time off and 8 paid holidays, retirement plan, direct deposit, and promotional opportunity.
To learn more about Small Smiles Dental Centers, please be sure to visit our website at http://smallsmiles.com.
Remember to ask about our Employee Referral Program.
Energy Edge Technologies Corporation to Acquire 100% of Dutchess' Equity in Union Dental Holdings, Inc.
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla., July 31, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Union Dental Holdings, Inc. (Pink Sheets:UDHI) www.uniondental.com/ir -- a provider of multi-state dental services for union members, announced today it was informed by Energy Edge Technologies Corporation (OTC:EEDG) they had entered into a definitive agreement with Dutchess Private Equities Fund, LTD to purchase all of the Dutchess shares of equity, including all warrants in UDHI.
In 2005 UDHI completed and filed a registration statement with the Securities & Exchange Commission for a convertible Debenture and a Senior Note which was all converted into equity via shares of stock and a warrant at a later date. This initial financing was considered by many in the financial industry as "toxic financing" or "Death Spiral Financing" for micro cap stock companies who were trying to build their business models but could not obtain financing in any other manner for their company to go forward other than through the P.I.P.E. (Private Investment in Public Entity) type of financing.
They talked about patient recruiting. They talked about the criminal behavior and the $10k fines for each of the people who recruit each time they approach a person in one of their vans. But I didn’t hear anything about who was going to start stopping these vans and handing out those $10K “patient recruiting tickets”. They also mentioned how illegal it was to “hire” a company to recruit and it was illegal to work as a recruiter.
They talked about the horrors and trauma small children are experiencing at the massive number of low quality dental centers, like Kool Smiles, Small Smiles, All Smiles, The Smile Center. They even mentioned babies being tied down and traumatized by hundreds of Texas dentists who are committing Medicaid fraud. Needless to say they skimmed over that subject as fast as possible. Mentioned a couple of words about standards and tabled it for later discussion, as they have for the past 10 years! Hey guys, it’s still on the table, don’t you see it!
The attorney for the Texas Dental Board admitted they have the power to make the rules, but didn’t say a word about if they planned on enforcing the rules they already have in place or any news ones they might create.
They talked about the $63 thousand dollars the government is handing out to Medicaid providers, and stressed the dentists are in the category. Then they told how to apply, what criteria must be met and I believe someone gave a count of 461 dentists who have already signed up for their piece of the pie. I’m not sure but I thought I heard applause.
DALLAS - As Texas cracks down on questionable Medicaid dental payments, dentists' offices are going dark all over the state.
From 28th Street in Fort Worth, to Eureka Circle in Wichita Falls, to Amarillo, dentists who've already collected money from the state to treat Medicaid patients are now turning away those patients, because the dentists' Medicaid claims are being rejected. There are more than 4,300 Medicaid dentists in the state.
Tens of thousands of patients are affected. In 2010, Medicaid paid for braces on about 80,000 kids in Texas. Treatment commonly takes two years.
Since March, the Medicaid dental is managed by three Managed Care Organizations (MCO's) which have stiffened standards. One MCO said 91 percent of new claims are being rejected.
Moms whose kids already have braces on their teeth are being told children's braces must come off halfway through treatment, that they must go to another clinic far from home, or that there will be no more treatment whatsoever.
Friday, Dr. John Roberts chaired his first stakeholder meeting as Texas HHS dental director. The old director left after News 8 discovered hundreds of millions of dollars of questionable payments under Medicaid orthodontics.
Dentists learned the three MCO's have different payment rates and differing standards. But the overall impression was that moving forward, the children with braces already on their teeth would receive treatment somehow.
"There are plans in place to continue treatment on patients, to re-evaluate patients, and to complete every patient's braces," said Dr. Robert Morgan of Children's Medical Center in Dallas, who attended the meeting. The meeting was also broadcast over the web for reporters and interested parties.
It was not clear how the process would exactly work. If the state reassigns patients to new dentists, regardless of their original need for braces, it will cost millions for treatment which may have been unnecessary in the first place.
One example is All Smiles Dental Centers, which is being sued by the state for fraud. All Smiles told The Dallas Morning News it is eliminating orthodontic treatment at 13 clinics. One witness in the state's case against All Smiles said 95 percent of the dental chain's claims in a 300-patient sample were fraudulent. All Smiles did not respond to News 8 efforts for clarification.
New Mexico Dental Board takes it easy on “Comfort Dental”, yet nails their employees.
Note in each of these it mentions that the “Comfort Dental” clinic is “owned” by the dentist who is being sanctioned. We know that is pure crapola! The New Mexico Dental board knows it’s crapola too, but does nothing to the corporation, nothing, nada, zip.
The dentists are always going to take the fall until you guys get off your asses and speak up! Quit taking an oath to tell the truth and lie about your clinic ownership? I do NOT understand this! I’m baffled every day by it.
What more can I say that will convince you are your screwing yourself, and your colleagues in the ground! Your chosen profession is going to hell, do something for God’s sake! Do something for the public’s sake!
While Texas works to fix a system that allowed dental clinics to charge the state millions of dollars in questionable Medicaid bills, dental providers say impoverished Texas children do not have adequate access to care and that the state’s rocky transition to Medicaid managed care is compounding the problem.
Concerns over the system will be addressed Friday, when the state’s Health and Human Services Commission holds a "dental stakeholders" meeting in Austin. John Roberts, an official with HHSC, said the dental directors of managed care health plans, members of state government and other state officials will address 14 questions previously submitted by dental providers across the state. One topic on the agenda: "Discussion on orthodontic continuation of care for abandoned patients."
Shannon Ash of Lewisville says her three teenagers haven’t been able to get their braces checked by an orthodontist for two months and are using wax to hold off the pain from wires cutting into their cheeks. After the dental clinic that had gotten state approval to put braces on her children shut down, the children’s new orthodontist told Ash that the Medicaid managed care dental plan assigned to her children by the state didn’t think her children’s braces were medically necessary. Therefore, it wouldn’t reimburse the orthodontist for treatments.
“I don’t have money to take care of the issue, or else I would have had it done myself,” Ash said. “If I had known this [would happen], I would have just let my kids’ teeth be crooked.”
After news broke last fall that Texas was paying millions to dental clinics for fraudulent or unnecessary Medicaid activities, such as putting cosmetic braces on low-income children, the state cracked down. The Health and Human Services Department's Office of Inspector General has put 23 orthodontic clinics on payment holds since October while it investigates fraud allegations. And managed care organizations that began administering Medicaid dental plans in March are placing stricter requirements on dental providers to prevent fraud.
The Iowa Dental Board has suspended the license of a local dentist after he allegedly gave a patient too much anesthetic and failed to use proper equipment during a procedure.
Order says Safabakhsh gave patient too much anesthetic, failed to use proper equipment
Masih Safabakhsh — whose listed address matches that of Gentle Dental, 1515 Blairs Ferry Road NE – was charged by the board in December 2011 for “failure to maintain a satisfactory standard of competency, and gross malpractice in the practice of dentistry.”
According to a board order dated July 13, Safabakhsh administered an amount of anesthetic to a patient that “far exceeds the maximum dosage.” The patient was later taken to the hospital for a “medical emergency.” Safabakhsh said he regularly used that amount of anesthetic and said he was unaware of current guidelines for dosage. Safabakhsh also allegedly told staff to change a patient’s record to show he used less anesthetic.
A coalition of associations and groups have joined together to ask Health and Human Services Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius to commission a report to evaluate the scientific community’s literature and research on sugar-sweetened beverage consumptions affects on oral health. Story posted at the ADA website.
Why? Do they think someone is lying about sugar being bad for your teeth?
If you google “evaluation of oral effect of sugar-sweetened beverages” I believe you will find this study has been done numerous times! One as late as 2009, heck it’s only 2012. Has sugar changed that much?
Maybe there is a legitimate reason for this request, I’m no expert, nor do I pretend to be. Sound a bit stupid to me, don’t we all know sugar is bad for oral health? Or are we not teaching this anymore? Maybe this is just something to keep HHS and Kathleen Sebelius’ busy so HHS is not digging into the massive fraud and abuse happening in dentistry today?
Naw, I’m probably wrong, as usual.
No doubt, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) is concerned about our children’s oral health, after all they are in front of Congress on a “regularly scheduled basis” with their hand out, telling lawmaker more taxpayer dollars are needed to give children “access to care” so these cavities can be treated as soon as possible. We all know children’s, teeth are highly susceptible to rot over sweets, right?
Heck Bernie Sander’s recently introduced yet another bill to appropriate more money to treat children who they say go to bed at night with “sippy cups” full of Coke.
The issue is so terrible says the AAPD and the Pew Institute that thousands upon thousands of private equity owned corporate dental clinics have spread across the US faster than a Colorado wildfire. All paid for by the taxpayer and all to combat the cavity crisis this country has had since the beginning of time.
Some states such as Texas have doubled their reimbursement for procedures needed to treat these specific problems.
In an effort to end this crisis, the AAPD has turned a blind eye to highly questionable treatment of children’s cavities by dentists, and in many cases have endorsed such treatment – papoose boards, risky sedation etc.
Posted on: 6:56 pm, July 16, 2012, by Heidi Hemmat
DENVER — Calls are still pouring into the Colorado Health Department’s hotline, from some of Dr. Stephen Stein’s 8,000 patients who fear he may have exposed them to deadly diseases.
Dr. Stein is accused of reusing dirty needles and syringes over and over again. Doctors say the unsanitary practice could spread blood born diseases like HIV and hepatitis.
But one question the health department’s call center can’t answer is a legal one: can Dr. Stein’s patients sue him for damages?
Anderson, Hemmat and Levine Attorney, Ethan McQuinn told us, “Yes, they can file a lawsuit.”
McQuinn said all 8,000 of Stein’s patients could sue for emotional distress, and you test positive for HIV or hepatitis B or C, you should be entitled to other damages.
But he said, “most likely it’s not going to be enough money to compensate the amount of people who’ve been affected.”
McQuinn said Colorado has caps on how much money you can get from a malpractice case. And because there are potentially thousands of defendants, the money would have to be split up.
McQuinn also told us in order to win a lawsuit, patients would have to prove they were infected in Stein’s office, “that could be something very difficult to prove,” he said.
And if Stein had fallen on hard economic times, like his run down Denver home seems to suggest, it’s possible he didn’t have malpractice insurance, especially since he hadn’t been practicing dentistry since June of 2011, “if the dentist let his insurance coverage lapse, then while claims can be brought against the dentist personally he may not have money to actually pay.”
MUNCIE — A Muncie dentist’s license to practice is in jeopardy after his conviction on drug charges in Kentucky.
Eric Scott Browning, 610 S. Tillotson Ave., who also maintained a dental practice in Lexington, Ky., was indicted on Aug. 4, 2011, in Kentucky federal court on drug charges.
The charges were filed after Browning documented in patients’ charts that he administered 10 mg of Versed, which induces sedation and amnesia before medical procedures, when in fact he administered only 5 mg and administered the other 5 mg to himself during five months in 2010.
This past December, Browning pleaded guilty to the charges, for which he was sentenced to five years of probation and fined $10,000. The terms of probation require him to participate in a substance abuse treatment program and to submit to periodic drug testing.
Browning’s license was suspended by the Kentucky Board of Dentistry in December of 2010 after it determined he had used the restricted drug for personal use, and after he was witnessed practicing or trying to practice dentistry on Nov. 23 of that year in an “intoxicated state and while under the influence of one or more mind altering substances.”
In November 2010, Browning surrendered his U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency registration.
His license to practice remains suspended in Kentucky, where Browning’s actions were deemed to constitute an immediate danger to his patients.
The Indiana attorney general recently filed a complaint seeking sanctions against Browning’s Indiana license, citing the events in Kentucky.
The attorney general alleges Browning’s illegal use of Versed has a direct bearing on his ability to practice competently in Indiana.
Browning did not return a phone call from The Star Press. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology, meaning he has achieved the highest level of education in his field. He provides periodontal and dental implant care to patients in East Central Indiana. He earned a degree from dental school and also completed a residency in periodontics.
November 2010 – Browning surrendered his DEA license.
December 2010 – KY Board of Dentistry suspended his license.
August 2011 – Indicted on Federal drug charges.
September 2011 – Pled guilty to charges in US District Court – Kentucky Eastern Division. Signed a 5 year contract the the Kentucky Professionals Recovery Network.
December 2011 – Sentenced to 5 years probation and $10k fine. He is subject to random drug screening and not allowed to even have a beer if he so chose.
May 2012- Deputy Indiana Attorney General Darren Covington files a complaint with the Indiana Dental Board.
I was always under the impression that the dental boards took up these issues when dentists has problems in other states and if they found criminal behavior they were the ones who turned it over the to the state Attorney General. This situation seems to be bassakwards.
Kentucky is not quick to pull someone’s dental license so this much have been a pretty darn bad situation.
Here we are nearly August 2012, and Eric Scott Browning, DDS is still licensed and is still able to practice dentistry in IN.
KY Dental license lists address as
Premier Periodontics , 3285 Blazer Pkwy Ste 210, Lexington, KY 40509 (859) 264-1854. Operated as Vance and Browning, DMD, PSC, in 2008. Changed it name to Vance and Shepherd DMDs, MS, PSC in March 2011, with Gregory Shawn Vance and Anna Dean Vance as officers. Armstrong Vance Center is also associated with this address.
His KY license number is 8594, and is listed as “suspended”. However when looking for disciplinary action documents it says, “There are no disciplinary documents for this dentist “
Why not?
In Muncie, Indiana 188 miles from Lexington, KY Browning operates Browning Periodontics.
From the website:
Dr. Browning received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from the University of Kentucky in 2000. He went on to earn his Doctor of Dental Medicine Degree at the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry in 2004. He then completed a three year residency in Periodontics at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio where he received his Master of Science Degree in 2007.
In November 2007, Dr. Browning achieved Board Certification in Periodontics, becoming a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology. This is the highest, most exclusive level of certification in periodontology and is achieved by roughly half of the practicing periodontists in the United States. His Master's Degree thesis focused on the use of a particular bone graft to treat periodontal disease. Dr. Browning is also a published author with publications in the Journal of Dental Research and International Journal of Periodontics and Restorative Dentistry. His articles involve a laboratory study detailing the effect of inflammation on periodontal bone loss and a surgical study employing the use of a bone graft material (Puros) in the treatment of periodontal bone defects around teeth.
When not practicing dentistry, Dr. Browning is enjoying life with his family- ( and a lot of other things!!) wife, Kimberly; daughter, Reagan; and son, Ethan. Dr. Browning is also a competitive rugby player and can be found playing the sport on most Saturdays in the Fall and Spring. He also enjoys reading, studying history, and traveling.
Dr. Browning is a member of numerous organizations including the American Dental Association, American Academy of Periodontology, Academy of Osseointegration, American Academy of Implant Dentistry, and International Association of Dental Research.
ARTICLES PUBLISHED:
Evaluation of a mineralized cancellous bone allograft for the treatment of periodontal osseous defects: 6 month surgical reentry. Int J Periodontics Restorative Dent 2009 Feb; 29(1): 41-7.
Omega 3 fatty acid effect on alveolar bone loss in rats. J Dent Res 2006 Jul; 85(7): 648-52.
A Long Island man is accused of running a dental practice out of his home despite having no formal medical or dental training. Nassau County police arrested Manuel Carranza, 46, of New Cassel on Wednesday afternoon. Police say they got a phone tip saying he was practicing dentistry out of his house. They say Carranza's home office was equipped with dental equipment and there were also various prescription medications in the home. They also found two electronic stun guns in the office. Police say that Carranza also tried to give them a forged New York State Identification card. Carranza is charged with unauthorized practice, having a forged document, weapons possession, and prescription violations. He was scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in Hempstead. Police had scheduled a Thursday afternoon news conference to release more information about the case.
Posted on July 19, 2012 at 10:39 PM Updated today at 5:24 AM
DALLAS - Tens of thousands of Dallas schoolkids and their parents turn out for the Mayor's Back to School Fair at the end of every summer, for a chance to get everything from immunizations, to haircuts, to school supplies -- all for free.
It's all donated by dozens of companies for the public good. But one of the sponsors this year, All Smiles Dental clinics, is charged with doing the public immense harm.
The company's been charged by the attorney general with Medicaid fraud, for allegedly billing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars for unneeded dental care under Medicaid.
All Smiles declared bankruptcy earlier this year, and settled a fraudulent billing case with the federal government for $1.2 million.
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings' office was unaware of the actions until notified by News 8. Rawlings' spokeswoman, Paula Blackmon, said All Smiles has participated in the fair for years.
"Those booth operators and vendors are offered a chance to come back year after year," Blackmon said. "A letter goes out and we allow those individual to participate if they wish."
Vendors pay $2,500 to participate, but the city does not make money on the fair. The city does not do background checks on the vendors, Blackmon said.
So where does the $2,500 per vender end up?
She said All Smiles will be a participant at the fair on August 4, if it chooses.
"They've not been indicted or tried or found guilty," Blackmon said. "We've allowed them to either participate or not."
The Back to School Fair is a substantial generator of new patients for health clinics. State records show that in the case of All Smiles, for years, most of its patients have been on Medicaid. E-mail bharris@wfaa.com
Several states have passed legislation requiring children to get a dental checkup before they enter school – wonder who had that idea. Anyway, it is that time of year, so parents BE AWARE!
I’m not to sure how legal these new regulations are, since it doesn’t make much sense to me to stop a child from an education because they didn’t get a dental check up.
I know folks think I’m some idiot mad woman, and they may be right. But honestly I don’t think I missed anything in school that a dental checkup would have prevented.
And if they – whoever “they” are – have done some study on this, I ask why they study this and not the number of children who have died from anesthesia mistakes and carelessness.
I’m not saying children should see the dentist or get regular checkups, just so we are clear.
LAS VEGAS – A dentist and his office manager pleaded guilty this morning to felony health care fraud for submitting false claims to a labor union's insurance administrator for dental work that was not performed, Nevada's U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden said.
Mauricio Vargas, 50, and Enoc Adrian Renteria, 33, both of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. They face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, and are scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 17 by U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro.
According to the plea agreements, Vargas as a licensed dentist who operated AV Dental in Las Vegas, and Renteria as his office and marketing manager, conspired with an employee of Laborers Union Local 872 to submit false billing claims to the union. Local 872 is self-insured and contracted with a third-party administrator to adjudicate and pay claims on behalf of union members.
Parents of former patients, an attorney and Health and Human Services are claiming a chain of orthodontics clinics are committing patient abandonment.
After Texas Medicaid cut off reimbursement to Sun Orthodonix, amid a fraud investigation by the Texas Office of Inspector General, the chain of clinics in turn cut off treatment to its Medicaid patients still in the midst of orthodontic treatment.
The move has left hundreds of teens and adolescents with braces on their teeth but no doctors treating them.
One El Paso orthodontist estimates up to 4,000 El Paso kids could be affected from the response from Sun Orthodontix and other local clinics which may be doing the same to their Medicaid patients.
Not having a doctor is a hard fact to swallow for two Northeast El Paso teens well into their orthodontic treatment they had be undertaking with Sun Orthodontix.
The pair has fought through the discomfort of braces, the pain of tooth extractions and even the stretching of their mouths by orthodontic devices. "He ran a fever he was in pain, he didn't eat," the boys' mother Emma Diaz said about her 14-year-old, Issac. "And now it's like we go through all of that and what now?"
Diaz says her sons showed up to their routine orthodontics appointment at Sun's Northeast El Paso location in June, where they were handed letters giving the boys two options: have the braces removed by Sun, or leave the braces on and find another orthodontist.
"It would be considered patient abandonment," Health and Human Services Commission spokeswoman Stephanie Goodman said. "And it's true for dentists, orthodontists, doctors, it's fairly standard across the medical profession."
A patient contract obtained by ABC-7 from when a teenager first got her braces at a Sun Orthodontix clinic in El Paso reads: "Good news! Once the braces have been placed, your treatment is fully covered. Even if you happen to lose your insurance, by keeping your monthly appointments, you are guaranteeing that your insurance will continue to pay for services rendered."
But even though the patient kept her appointments, as soon as Medicaid cut its payments to Sun Orthodontix, a subsidiary of National Orthodontix Mgmt, treatment was cut as well.
Sun Orthodontix's attorney, Frank Sheeder, would not address this "guarantee," but he did say the clinics are following the process for terminating and transferring care.
Sheeder says the state pre-approved the treatments, then without warning, put a hold on Medicaid reimbursement five months ago.
In an email, Sheeder writes: "An orthodontic practice can't reasonably be expected to continue to provide services for free for such a long time."
In the letters to patients, Sun states that it has been forced to lay off more than a hundred employees and four orthodontists.
Still, Goodman says lack of payment should not translate into lack of treatment. She says doctors have a professional obligation to finish what they started or they could face consequences.
"In those cases where we have an orthodontist, who is accepting Medicaid, put braces on a child or did any treatment, in most cases braces, and now says that because the payment's not there, 'I'm not going to continue the treatment'? We will be referring those to the dental board, who we're working very closely with," Goodman said. "And they've assured us they will move on those cases."
That assurance is not of much comfort to 16-year-old Andy Diaz. He has had four teeth extracted as per his course of treatment prescribed by his orthodontist at Sun Orthodontix.
He has been left with the braces on his teeth and big gaps where his teeth used to lie.
"If they can at least just close the bottom ones, I'd be happy," Andy Diaz said. "You can't leave a kid with gapped teeth."
They already have, but for how much longer is the real question.
ABC-7's Matt Dougherty spoke with the owner and founder of Sun Orthodontix, Dr. John G. "Jack" Vondrak, when he was in El Paso recently. Vondrak refused to comment on the record.
From Sun Orthodontix Website:
Dr. John Vondrak is the founder of Sun Orthodontix. His experience as a practicing orthodontist, that spans over three decades, and his commitment to provide families of all income levels with affordable, quality care have been instrumental to Sun's growth and success. Dr. Vondrak continues to treat patients and oversee the training of new orthodontists in Sun's specialized method of treatment.
Dr. Vondrak earned his orthodontic degree from Howard University School of Dentistry in Washington D.C. and completed his internship in oral surgery at Louisiana State University Medical Center in New Orleans. Dr. Vondrak received his Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln and served in the U.S. Air Force as a dental officer before entering private practice.
Dr. Vondrak is a past president of the New Mexico Orthodontic Society and a member of the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO), the Southwestern Society of Orthodontists (SSO), the American Dental Association (ADA), and local and regional dental societies in both New Mexico and Texas.
Dr. Vondrak's wife, Barbara, is herself an accomplished dental professional, who plays an active role at Sun. She holds a Masters Degree in Dental Hygiene Education, has worked as an Accreditation Consultant for the ADA, and has served as chairwoman of the American Dental Hygienist Association's Dental Education Committee.
The Vondraks have two daughters and a son, all of whom live in Texas. Their daughters, Cameron and Clarian, are following in their father's footsteps and are currently enrolled in dental programs. Their son, Greg, is the Project Coordinator for Sun, and their son-in-law, Craig, is the Director of Operations. The Vondraks are the proud grandparents of seven beautiful grandchildren.
Why are “recruiter” companies, such as Dental Professional of Texas’ very own 
The Iowa Dental Board has suspended the license of a local dentist after he allegedly gave a patient too much anesthetic and failed to use proper equipment during a procedure. 
DENVER — Calls are still pouring into the Colorado Health Department’s hotline, from some of Dr. Stephen Stein’s 8,000 patients who fear he may have exposed them to deadly diseases. 
MUNCIE — A Muncie dentist’s license to practice is in jeopardy after his conviction on drug charges in Kentucky. 
DALLAS - Tens of thousands of Dallas schoolkids and their parents turn out for 
money on the fair. The city does not do background checks on the vendors, Blackmon said.
She said All Smiles will be a participant at the fair on August 4, if it chooses.
Parents of former patients, an attorney and Health and Human Services are claiming a chain of orthodontics clinics are committing patient abandonment.