(November 10, 2014): Has your dental practice been the subject of a dental fraud investigation? Medicaid dental audits are becoming increasingly prevalent throughout the United States. An Oklahoma-based dental practice has recently agreed to pay $5.05 million in civil claims stemming from allegations that the practice committed Medicaid dental fraud, submitting false claims to Medicaid from January 2005 through September 2010. The Oklahoma practice provides dental care to Medicaid-eligible children through multiple clinics located in a number of states. Each dentist draft visit notes that outlines the services performed on each individual patient. The practice then submits claims for reimbursement to the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) based on dentists’ documentation. After OHCA reimburses the practice for those claims, the dentists are then reimbursed a certain percentage.
I. Dental Practice Submits Claims For Work Never Performed or Coded at Higher Levels:
According to a practice spokesperson, the allegations arose with respect to a dentist who last worked at a dental office in September 2010. Specifically, this dentist has been accused of submitting treatments notes for services that were never performed, which is a clear example of Medicaid dental fraud. Notably, this individual has already been sentenced to 18 months in Federal prison for fraud in a separate matter. She was released earlier this year but must still pay more than $375,000 in restitution.
II. Effect of the Dental Fraud Settlement Agreement:
This settlement agreement resolves allegations that the dental practice violated the Federal and State False Claims Acts by submitting false Medicaid claims for dental restorations that were never performed or were billed at a higher rate than allowed. The agreement also releases the practice and its owner from any civil liability in the underlying case. Nevertheless, the practice must still adhere to additional record-keeping, reporting, and compliance requirements.
Settlement agreements such as this have become a useful tool in False Claims Act cases. They allow the government and individual parties to avoid the expense and uncertainty involved in actually litigating a case. Moreover, as seen in this case, prosecuting authorities do not generally make any concessions about the legitimacy of the alleged Medicaid dental fraud.
III. Conclusion:
Identifying and combating fraud in both the federal Medicare and joint State/Federal Medicaid program has been a high priority for government health care enforcement agencies. Effective enforcement measures help ensure that instance Medicare and Medicaid dental fraud are identified, ensuring that the dollars are provided to care for individuals who truly need assistance.
"We continually strive to protect government programs, such as Medicaid, from fraud and abuse by ensuring they are used properly and only by those who are in need and are eligible," U.S. Attorney Sanford C. Coats said. "This case is a good example of the value of coordination between state and federal law enforcement, as well as the coordinated use of parallel proceedings, to achieve a successful civil and criminal resolution".
Dental practices can help avoid allegations of fraud, waste, and abuse through the development, implementation and adherence to an effective compliance program. A compliance program can go a long way towards enabling a dental practice to identify potential improper or fraudulent practices before they occur. It is a strategic and vital tool that will assist you in following recognized best practices in the dental industry. Have you implemented a compliance program for your dental practice? If not, you may be placing your organization at significant risk. Give us a call today at and we would be more than happy to assist you in developing an effective compliance program for your dental practice.
