A year-long investigation by the website MedPage Today and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel into how well states police physicians is out, and Alaska didn’t score well. “States of Disgrace: A Flawed System Fails to Inform the Public” is the title … Read More
An Olmito woman arrested during a nationwide sweep of people suspected of health care fraud in 2015 has been found guilty. The United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas, announced in a press release that U.S. District Judge Andrew … Read More
It was an angry scene that lasted for weeks in the spring of 2015 along an uphill stretch of University Boulevard. Parents protested how a Jacksonville dentist had abused their children in his office nearby. Howard Sheldon Schneider had pulled … Read More
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is under indictment for several felonies, had a grand time in Washington on Tuesday, convening with several of his fellow Republican attorneys general to roll out their plan to kill the Affordable Care Act … Read More
SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCBD) — A Mount Pleasant dentist has been sentenced to prison for a tax violation, according to officials. Judy Villanyi, 48, was charged with bank fraud, obstruction, and failure to file taxes. She was sentenced to five months … Read More
Texas is suing the federal government over President Barack Obama’s landmark health law — again. In a 20-state lawsuit filed Monday in federal court, Attorney General Ken Paxton argued that after the passage of the GOP’s tax plan last year … Read More
FONDA — A Canajoharie dentist arrested last year on fraud allegations will spend time in state prison after pleading guilty in the case, Montgomery County District Attorney Kelli McCoski said Thursday. Martin Sorbero, 63, of Hagaman, appeared in court last … Read More
SAN ANTONIO — The courtroom was silent and thick with anxiety Thursday morning as the judge’s deputy read the verdicts: “Guilty,” “guilty,” “guilty” — 11 times over, and on all felony counts. State Sen. Carlos Uresti sat stone-faced, his gaze … Read More
Back in July 2017, I came across a newspaper article that was being shared on a popular dental hygiene Facebook group about a dental hygienist from Idaho named Cherie Dillon. According to the story, Cherie was convicted of Medicaid fraud … Read More
Texas ranks near the bottom of the list when it comes to dental health, according to a study conducted by WalletHub. According to the study, Texas ranks 42nd out of all 50 states in the U.S. in regards to care … Read More
It’s a familiar scenario: Two friends reconnect at a dental convention, share a few stories, and decide to meet again. In just a few months, Bill found himself at Paul’s lake house for a “fishing trip,” laughing and telling tall … Read More
TYLER – Smith Dental Care has been offering free teeth cleaning, extractions and fillings for the past 14 years. There are times when people such as Ricky Francis could benefit from something that’s usually a hit to his wallet. Francis … Read More
EL PASO, Texas – Dentists from The Dental Ark are teaming up with the YWCA El Paso del Norte Region to train staff and donate resources to students. Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, of the Dental Ark, said that we should begin … Read More
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After an I-TEAM report detailing the use of papoose boards by an embattled Jacksonville pediatric dentist accused of abusing patients, News4Jax heard from dozens of parents who shared stories of their terrified children being strapped to the … Read More
(Reuters) – Japan’s Fujifilm Holdings is set to take over Xerox Corp in a $6.1 billion deal, combining the U.S. company into their existing joint venture to gain scale and cut costs amid declining demand for office printing. Source: Japan’s Fujifilm … Read More
A Langhorne dentist was hit with multiple felony charges Wednesday after prosecutors said he and his company submitted $1.5 million in fraudulent claims to the Medical Assistance Program for dental work that was never performed. Dr. Ilya Babiner, 63, of Bridge … Read More
Texas House Speaker Joe Straus is calling on House members to investigate the Texas Health and Human Services Commission after a state audit report revealed mishandling of a contract with a health insurance company. The State Auditor’s Office released a … Read More
A former dentist from South Dakota plead guilty last week to a $16.6 million scheme to defraud consumers through the sale of a sham laser device and associated treatments, promising it would cure more than 200 different conditions, according to … Read More
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — A Tucson chiropractor faces prison time on convictions for fraud and other crimes for allowing an unlicensed dentist to practice out of his chiropractic clinic. The Arizona Attorney General’s Office says Dr. Jesus Bernal faces between … Read More
For years, his company has been under fire over allegations its dentists performed painful, unnecessary work on children in a scheme to bilk Medicaid. Yet Kool Smiles’ chief dental officer, Dale G. Mayfield, since 2016 had a say in how … Read More
File this one under “Be careful what you wish for.” Some states with conservative leaders might finally expand Medicaid to more of their residents – with the provision that they work as well. That’s actually a good deal, because it … Read More
BALTIMORE, Md. – The State of Maryland will receive over $1,000,000 from a company as part of a settlement, after officials say the company made false Medicaid claims for dental procedures. Source: Md. to receive over $1M in Medicaid fraud settlement … Read More
MOUNT VERNON, Mo. — A Mount Vernon dentist was ordered bound over for trial this week in Lawrence County Circuit Court on three counts of Medicaid fraud and a single count of obstruction. Associate Court Judge Scott Sifferman found probable … Read More
The U.S. government shut down early Saturday morning after Congress and the president could not come to an agreement on how to continue funding. Late Friday night, a House funding resolution died in the U.S. Senate when Senate Republican leaders … Read More
January 17, 2018 – Law enforcement agencies and federal healthcare administrators including HHS, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), the FBI, and US Attorney’s Offices across the country investigated provider healthcare schemes that defrauded Medicare and Medicaid more than … Read More
A national dental chain has paid $1.7 million to Massachusetts to resolve allegations that it fraudulently billed the state’s Medicaid program for medically unnecessary and expensive dental work on pediatric patients. The payment is part of a $23.9 million global … Read More
Francisco Pena, mayor of Rio Bravo, Texas, has been indicted alongside three other individuals for his alleged role in a $150 million home health care fraud and money laundering scam, according to a memo released by the U.S. Justice Department. … Read More
A dental management company with multiple Texas clinics has agreed to a nearly $24 million settlement with federal prosecutors after being accused of submitting false claims to state Medicaid programs – including Texas’ – and performing unnecessary dental work on … Read More
YUMA, Ariz. – The Justice Department announced on Wednesday that it has settled False Claims Act allegations against dental management company Benevis LLC (formerly known as NCDR LLC) and more than 130 of its affiliated Kool Smiles dental clinics for … Read More
A Texas dentist’s office prepared to give a man a new — and very expensive — smile, but instead the staff got a call that made them frown when police revealed the patient was a fraud. The unidentified man went … Read More
Texas now has enough federal money to keep alive its health insurance program for more than 450,000 uninsured kids and pregnant women through the end of March, a state official said on Friday. Source: Texas has enough federal funds to keep … Read More
AUSTIN — Two former directors at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, including the wife of state Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, are suing the agency for wrongful termination. In a lawsuit filed in Travis County District Court, Shannon … Read More
AUSTIN — Health care providers in Texas are getting a $25 billion shot in the arm with the five-year extension of a Medicaid program by the federal government. Source: Feds grant Texas extension of Medicaid waiver / The Banner-Press
Small businesses and sole proprietors will be able to band together under a new federal rule to create employee health plans that would expand coverage options for 11 million uninsured Americans, senior Trump administration officials said. The Labor Department rule … Read More
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — (1/03/2018) What used to be one of the busiest dental offices in Mt. Vernon is now little more than ashes, as the building was burned almost to a crisp in a fire that officials are now labeling … Read More
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. — Devon Rising shakes his head and tries to cover his face with his hands. It’s time to get his few remaining teeth cleaned, and he fusses for a bit. Gita Aminloo, his dental hygienist, tries to … Read More
COLUMBUS — Compliance examinations to verify whether Medicaid providers have sufficient documentation to support payment have led to repayment demands totaling nearly $10.6 million in 2017, Auditor of State Dave Yost announced recently. Since taking office, Yost’s Medicaid team has … Read More
AUSTIN – As lawmakers on Capitol Hill continue to discuss the future of the CHIP program, Texas is set to receive $135 million from the federal government to keep benefits in place thru February. CHIP, which stands for Children’s Health Insurance Program, … Read More
Federal taxpayers may have forfeited at least $1 billion because a slate of drugs were misclassified under Medicaid’s rebate program, the Health and Human Services’ chief watchdog said Wednesday. HHS’ inspector general said the vast majority of the tens of … Read More
Families are becoming increasingly panicked about children losing health insurance without new funding from Congress, state officials warned Wednesday as a new report showed nearly 2 million kids could be dropped from coverage next month. Source: State officials panicked over children’s … Read More
