Going over Waller’s timesheets, it appears sumpin’ BIG happened at the Indy 1 Small Smiles in April 2012. I believe there are a lot of “adverse events” attributed to the Indy1 clinic, but this was clearly bigger than they could handle in house, even with Sheila Sawyer overseeing things.
Indy1 is:
Small Smiles Dental Center
5430 E Washington Street
Indianapolis, IN 46219
317-322-1840
Fake owner - Helen Katherine Peterson, DDS
Moral Monday: Texas orthodontists scrutinized for Medicaid fraud by Katie Sowa, Houston ’15, Electronic Editor 
Texas Drills Down on Medicaid Dental Fraud by Nathan Koppel
Mobile dental clinics drawing scrutiny
Mobile dental clinics drawing scrutiny - by Ken Alltucker on Aug. 18, 2012, under Arizona Republic News
Mobile dental clinics drawing scrutiny - Use of Medicaid funding, lack of oversight spur concerns, separate probes
Small Smiles Dental Centers – Church Street Health Management (CSHM)
![frontline[6]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrwZ0ujExwzQ5ifUMALzjEilV_kW9EpZumprlyhoE8uuqVGbFb3LuejS-Chdcy3ws9KjCSUpCC8vA4QmUBK55kMNKGhGSAzQTqCIMag3TserAnYl3I-qTU4V612YCV6a2ER8g/?imgmax=800 "frontline[6]")
I loved Candy’s name for the Malouf Waterpark going in at 10711 Strait Lane, in Dallas, Texas. Candy, help yourself to anything ya like here at the blog…
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
by Candy Evans of Candy's Dirt
DALLAS — "Texas Drills Down on Medicaid Dental Fraud” (subscription required) was the headline from the Wall Street Journal. What do they mean by that? Why, maybe a blast from the past biz practices of people like Richard Malouf who is putting in a water park that one reader thinks we ought to christen “WaterPik Park” over on Strait Lane. His gates were wide open on Sunday as trucks heaved in the equipment, which is now sitting right in the front yard of what was once 10711 Strait Lane.
That is, as you know, the Family Sports World.
If any of you were as surprised as I was over this Medicaid deal — I mean, I know what Medicaid reimburses physicians for medical care and it is barely enough to cover the exam table paper in the office — it seems as though the problem stemmed from a 2007 civil lawsuit (that really started in 1993) that made the state increase reimbursement rates for Medicaid dental services:
“The suit, a federal class action filed by parents in 1993 against state officials, alleged Texas was failing in its duty to ensure that children on Medicaid received proper preventative care in dental and other areas. Eligibility for Children’s Medicaid in Texas is pegged to income. In 2007, Texas legislators agreed to settle, conceding that there was a dwindling number of doctors and dentists in the state willing to treat Medicaid patients and agreeing to increase Medicaid-reimbursement rates. A 2012 report by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform offered case studies in various states of supposed Medicaid abuse; it cited dental services in Texas as a particular problem area. By 2010, according to the report, Texas’ Medicaid program was spending more on braces than the other 49 state Medicaid programs spent combined on such orthotics.“
This is just what Byron Harris reported, and I wonder why the WSJ doesn’t mention his report. It has also, like always, resulted in the loss of services for kiddos who really need it: All Smiles Dental Professionals P.C., has shuttered 13 orthodontic offices in the Dallas area because of the investigation, leaving an estimated 12,000 Medicaid-eligible patients without care.
But hey, WaterPik Park is coming! Look at those slides just waiting to be installed! It’s only 6.5 million gallons of water, and Texas sure has plenty of that … right?
Transparent as it was, on May 25, 2012, All Smiles Dental petitioned the court to allow for a Management Incentive Bonuses to be paid during bankruptcy procedures. [shaking head]
First they tried to establish the separation of the Professional Corporation and the plain ole Corporation, and the Debtors. Kind of like “church and state” but better. Keep the chart below handy as you follow along.
Debtors – All Smiles Dental Center, Inc. and AS Property Holdings, LLC
Inc. – All Smiles Dental Center, Inc.
PC – All Smiles Dental Professionals, P.C.
“Inc, and PC believe that PC must exit the orthodontic practice in an expedited manner”. Inc will help PC do this in a manner consistent with the State Board of Dental Examiners rules. [Doc. 90, paragraph 6]
Debtors are asking that 8 “Key Employees” who are “vital” to the ongoing operations in assisting the PC’s exit the orthodontic business be given a bonus for their outstanding work, just in case they provide some. They argue, since other employees have quit or been fired, these “Great 8” have “asked” to take up the slack.
Debtors claim these 8 have been “efficient in the administration of the Debtor’s estate” and present that any reorganization of the company could not happen without them.
To reward these 8 outstanding people, Neil Minihane, (acting president) devised a “Management Incentive Bonus Plan, at Inc. to reward them for their efforts based on “specifically identifiable milestones”, up to $180,250.00, with installments up to $90,125.00. – [Doc. 90, paragraph 10]
Mr. Minihane believes PC cannot exit the fraudulent [they didn’t say they were fraudulent, of course, I did] orthodontics services without this bonus plan and paying the “Great 8” the proposed bonus is “necessary, reasonable and in the best interest of the Debtor’s estate.”
The plan is to make two payments to the “Great 8”. The first one is when Inc. converts PC over to strictly “general dentistry”. [Stainless Steel Crown manufacturers, gear up!] The payments will be at the discretion of Inc.
Yes, I think we are understanding this correctly – Inc (debtor) wants to reward Inc (itself) with a bonus, since Inc (itself) has to follow Dental Board rules closing its “fraud” department (orthodontics).
Here is exactly what it says in Doc.90, paragraph 8 :
The Management Incentive Bonus Plan consists of two bonus payments. At the discretion of the Debtors' management, the first bonus payment will be payable upon the Debtors' successful management of PC's exit from orthodontic services. This is a key element to PC being able to shift its practice area to solely general dentistry, and hence, to the Debtors' reorganization into a company only supporting a general dentistry practice. The Debtors, with the critical assistance of the Key Employees, are currently working toward this goal. This includes labor-intensive tasks such as providing staff, record access, and logistics related to the orthodontists' preparation of letters to patients advising of termination of treatment or managing the SBDE professional dismissal process while managing the customer services issues with orthodontic patients and their families. Without the assistance of the Key Employees, PC would not be able to timely and professionally exit the orthodontic practice, resulting in significant additional costs to PC and the Debtors' estates arising from lack of organization and profitability in the orthodontic business at PC.
The second payout Inc wants to pay itself for work it already does, would take place when they Inc. exits the bankruptcy. They say, when PC stops its fraud (orthodontics) practices, the “Great 8” will still be “required in order to complete the myriad of tasks associated with the successful restructuring of PC as a general dentistry practice”. They further stated the Debtors believe they have demonstrated sound business judgment in this process and should be granted their motion for bonuses. [Doc 90, paragraph 20]
The motion stated, Inc will continue to do as it did before they filed bankruptcy – manage PC. By management of PC, Inc listed “properly restructuring the general dentistry practice, along with negotiating and managing the implementation of the Corporate Integrity Agreement contemplated in the State Settlement Agreement.”
Here is exactly what is said in Doc 90, paragraph 9:
At the discretion of the Debtors' management, the second bonus payment will be payable upon the Debtors' successful exit from bankruptcy, as evidenced by this Court's confirmation of a plan of reorganization. After the Debtors facilitate PC's exit from the orthodontic practice, the services of the Key Employees will continue to be required in order to complete the myriad of tasks associated with the successful restructuring of PC as a general dentistry practice managed by Inc. These services include, but are not limited to, removing Inc. personal property, turning over the facilities to the respective landlords, reorganizing the management operations to support the different PC needs, record relocation and organization, identifying and installing processes and procedures associated with the State Settlement Agreement Requirements,4 identifying the executory contracts and leases to be assumed or rejected by the Debtors, developing financial projections, identifying the amount of exit financing necessary, working through the myriad of patient and employee uncertainty issues associated with the bankruptcy process and answering general questions associated with the plan and with the Debtors' business.
The “Great 8” employees of Inc. are:
John Bevill – Operations Director – West (Former District Manger at Kool Smiles)
Esther Castaneda – HR Manager
John Garry – Controller – (Previous with Lending.com – online mortgage broker)
Spring Helser – Doctor Recruiter – (used to work at CVS)
Diana Loft – Facilities Director – (PlainsCapital Bank, now at Chem-Aqua, left AS 7-2012 after 5 years of employment.
Michael Lozich – Chief Compliance Officer – LinkedIn page says he’s at Broadlane, Inc. since 2009, must need updating, here is press release he issued for All Smiles July 27, 2012)
John Morgan – VP of Information Technology – (Formerly Cano Petroleum, started AS in Aug. 2010)
Lisa Mullinix – Operations Director – East – (Former Regional Manager at Small Smiles)
Specifically the Motion told the court that the “…specific amount of the…payment each…will be eligible to receive will be based upon percentage of the …salary ranging from 15% to 25%.” They motioned for the details of the “Great 8” salaries and detail of the Management Incentive Bonus Plan be placed under seal by the court.
They further stated that, “seven of the Key Employees received offer letters upon the commencement of their employment proposing bonus payments consistent with this percentage of their salary. The remaining Key Employee did not receive such an offer letter. This Key Employee will be eligible to be paid a bonus at the low end of the percentage range.”
In other words, these employee were told they would receive bonuses when we hired them, and we still want to hand out bonuses, capeesh, Mr. Judge?
It was a great attempt to extort more money from the bank accounts of All Smiles Dental. However, 11 days later, On June 5, 2012, Inc. withdrew the Motion on June 5, 2012.
Imagine the danger All Smiles currently poses. Regional directors who were given lots of power and leeway from the top two Medicaid dental mills all under the Malouf roof! Shakes me to the core.
Lisa Mullinix was a Regional Director of Operations for Small Smiles Dental Centers. She is the person who came up with the “scripts” distributed to employees to stop parent from accompanying children back into the operatory.
Much more to come on Ms. Mullininx. Stay tuned.
Related:
I'm not trying to get into the politics between oral surgeons and dental anesthesiologists, but what I don't understand is if the dental anesthesiologists want stricter guidelines and they are not asking for it to be mandatory for an office to use a dental anesthesiologists, I don't see what’s the big deal.
I know that the problem mostly involves general dentists trying to play DA by upping dosages - clearly these are the people killing folks, but what harm can come from MORE SAFE PRACTICES?
Are Oral Surgeons afraid their pockets won't stay as fat! Sorry people, someone's life is a wee bit more important than getting rich, especially when you're going to loose all that dough eventfully when you kill someone like this dick weed.
California Dental Board Investigation - Dennis-Duke Yamashita
Anyone want to bet the only sanctions taken will be for record keeping?
DALLAS (AP) — Police in Dallas are investigating allegations that children are being offered cash and gifts to come in for dental work funded by Medicaid.
The allegations reported by Dallas television station WFAA include claims from children and parents that they were "recruited" by dental practices. One teenager told the television station for its Thursday broadcast that she was paid $10 to be driven to a clinic, All About Dentistry in southeast Dallas, where she had seven fillings.
Afterward, the receptionist asked Keke Gray about her parents.
"(The receptionist) said, 'You don't have those kind of parents who would come up here and complain or anything like that, right?'" said Gray, 17.
Federal law prohibits the solicitation of Medicaid patients. Stephanie Goodman, spokeswoman for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, said federal regulations are intended to allow Medicaid providers and other doctors to compete on equal footing.
Dallas Police spokesman Lt. Scott Walton said police were looking into the reports.
"The circumstances of these incidents are being investigated to determine what criminal offense occurred," he said. "Once this determination is made, appropriate action will be taken."
Messages were left Friday by The Associated Press for the owner of All About Dentistry, Dr. Hamid Farahani, at two of his offices.
Farahani told WFAA that he uses unmarked vans to bring children from southeast Dallas neighborhoods to his clinics. Others who have previously spoken to the station have said they were aware of cash, gift cards and meals being offered for new patients.
One woman was recorded on tape being stopped by a van from Access Dental with her kids by her side.
"Today he offered me a free pizza dinner," Juanita Bonner said.
The Texas Attorney General's office did not immediately respond to questions about whether it is investigating. Alper Ozinal, a spokesman for the federal Health and Human Services Department, said in a statement that it had seen several instances of improper Medicaid billing.
"We are working with states to fight any potential fraud — including working with states to audit dental providers, referring potential fraud to law enforcement, educating dental providers on proper billing, and more closely managing the billing processes around dental products," Ozinal said in a statement.
Dear NCDR and Kool Smiles colleagues:
Our CRS program (which includes CRS’s, CSM’s and CE’s) has played a very important role in building Kool Smiles over the years, and is an important part of our culture. Our CRS colleagues have helped create a dental home for thousands of patients. Unlike many of our competitors, our CRS's have played by the rules, and we appreciate it.
However, regulations and other scrutiny of CRS programs are increasing rapidly: CRS programs are now prohibited or severely restricted in states with nearly half our offices. CRS programs are also under rapidly increasing pressure from muckraking journalists, as well as trial attorneys making bogus claims against us. We expect this scrutiny of CRS programs to expand to other states, as well, and it helps make Kool Smiles an easy target for very damaging attacks on the company, as we've seen in Texas, even though we are "the good guys" in the industry.
So, unfortunately, we've had to make the difficult decision to eliminate the CRS program, effective September 14, with the exception of the four CSM’s in Texas, where we have important ongoing government relations initiatives. CRS's, CSM’s and CE’s will receive a severance package based on years of service, and will have 30 days of transition time.
During the next 30 days, CRS's will transfer their most important local relationships to local OMs. We will generate leads with increased use of efficient traditional and new media. We will also continue to educate our patients through media, social media and local public relations programs, and we are establishing a small local community relations fund for each office. We will provide more details on this over the next couple of weeks.
The CRS program, and the contributions our CRS's have made to the company, are integral parts of our culture, and this is a painful decision, but one that we need to make to help ensure the health and continued growth of the company going forward. I know this is difficult for everyone involved, but I ask you to help make the transition happen professionally, and to remain focused on providing great care to our patients, every day.
Thank you,
Jeff Lane
President
NCDR LLC
Dr. Ralph Green, DDS, of Reachout Healthcare America is into stem cells these days.
StemSave.com lists Dr. Green as part of the Business Advisory Council. This is scary to me. What is scarier, is how the following individuals hooked up and what is their real plan? Research grants?
As part of the management team, along with Dr. Ralph Green are co-founders of Stemsave - Arthur E. Greco and Dr. Gregory Chotkowski, DMD
Dr. Ralph Green is up to his eyeballs in corruption at ReachOut Healthcare America, so when you see him involved in something, one automatically assumes if it’s not a scam now, it soon will be.
StemSave Business Advisory Council:
Dr. Ralph Green, DDS, MBA - has enjoyed an extensive and distinguished career in dentistry and business. Dr. Green received his Doctorate in Dental Surgery from the University of Iowa and his MBA from Boston University. In addition to establishing a private dental practice, Dr. Green was a faculty member of Tufts University’s Dental School as well as the Forsyth School of Dental Hygiene and currently serves as a trustee of The Forsyth Institute in Boston, MA. Dr. Green has conducted extensive research in the areas of bone growth, Implants, resins, tissue engineering and oncology. As a result of his research Dr. Green has developed and holds several patents and has successfully stewarded several devices through the FDA registration process.
In addition to his extensive experience in dentistry and research, Dr. Green has a long and successful career in business. In addition to maintaining an active private practice; Ralph Green DDS PC, Dr. Green is also the Vice President of Clinical Affairs for Reachout Healthcare America (RHA) providing healthcare services to the brave men and women serving in our country’s armed forces and serving underserved communities in twenty one states.
Prior to RHA, Dr. Green has been directly involved in numerous start up and early phase companies. Most prominently, Dr. Green was the founder of Nobel USA, the largest dental Implant company in the world today. Dr. Green invented and patented several advancements to implant technology and founded Technology Corporation of America which he later sold and is now part of BIOGEN.
More recently Dr. Green served as President of ZILA Pharmaceuticals, a division of ZILA Inc., a publicly traded company in the cancer diagnostic arena where in addition to the USA; Dr. Green successfully registered and launched the products in the United States, Europe, China and numerous other Asian countries. Dr. Green has served as the President-Elect of the Dental Manufacturers of America, the largest organization of dental industry companies. He is a member of the American Dental Association, American Association for Dental Research and the International Associations for Dental Research. He served on the Board of the Oral Health of America and presently has been one of the founders of the Arizona School for Oral Health.
PhoneAlso listed on the Business Advisory Team are:
City: Plano
State: TX
Company: Smile Brands Inc.
REQ ID: 12-0491
If you have customer service or dental experience, this is a great opportunity for you. We are currently seeking self-motivated , high energy and enthusiastic people to join our growing call center in Plano, TX.
The primary role of the Inbound Patient Services Representative will be to assist patients who need to complete dental treatment in process and schedule appointments with our dental offices.
Requirements
USA v Michael D. Goodwin – Complaint August 15, 2012
USA v Michael D. Goodwin case 2-12-CR-097
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.
JP Morgan Chase v Michael D. Goodwin, Patricia Goodwin and Chenoa Texas, LLC – Complaint March 6, 2012
Summons in JPMC v Goodwin March 6, 2012
Joint Settlement Conference Report August 3, 2012
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.
This just bothers me, mainly because the real child assaults in dental offices go unpublished and unpunished!
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
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.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.
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."
August 3, 2012
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
View more videos at: http://nbcconnecticut.com.
Painful Dentist Bill Questioned
By Troubleshooter Chris Coffey
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.
The CSDA also recommends would-be patients contact the Connecticut Dental Health Partnership here.
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.Related:
- Texas AG lawsuits spurred by WFAA dental investigation
- Medicaid dentistry tackles patient abandonment after investigation
- Back-to-school event includes clinic involved in News 8 investigations
- Dentist in Medicaid suit adding a water park to his mansion
- Texas Medicaid dental program pays millions for crowns, fillings
- More stories about WFAA's Texas Medicaid orthodontics investigation
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” .
Now, what was it that Bernie Sanders and other were talking about… Oh, yeah… children don’t have access to dental care? Bull!
I also noticed the kids have their own Texas orthodontist! Must be a good one too as their teeth appear to be perfect!
Related:
Medicaid recruiters scramble for Texas dental patientsTexas Health and Human Services Commission Archived Web Presentations
Texas Health and Human Services Commission Webinar
Texas Law and Dental Board Rules on patient solicitation:
Dental Board Rules
Texas Law
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.
Medicaid cuts mean less dental care for poor
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??!!
Just in case you were unsure where the ADA stood on private equity and corporate owned illegal dental chains, you don’t need to be.
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)
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 
Download the pdf.
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.
