U.S. District Judge Joseph Goodwin said a former Charleston dentist’s personal wealth was accumulated at the cost of keeping some of his patients addicted to opioids and defrauding Medicaid as he sentenced him to prison Thursday morning. In front of … Read More
A now-closed Fort Dodge teeth whitening business may have been operating without a license, according to the Fort Dodge Police Department, and may have been involved in theft and fraud. Smile Labs of Fort Dodge LLC, which was formerly located … Read More
SURVEYOR, W.Va. — Several FBI vehicles were parked in front of Jarrell Family Dentistry Wednesday afternoon. Multiple agents could be seen walking in and out of the building carrying papers. The business is located along Harper Road, Route 3. An … Read More
A Hanover County dentist pleaded guilty Wednesday in a four-year health care fraud scheme that netted more than $783,000 from Medicaid and four dental insurers. Maryam E. Zarei, 47, of Glen Allen, the owner and operator of Atlee Station Family … Read More
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s administration is asking for $90 million more in federal funding in hopes of delaying health insurance cancellations for nearly half a million children. Texas will end its Children’s Health Insurance Program on … Read More
It’s been two months since inaction in Congress put health insurance for more than 400,000 Texas children in jeopardy, and for people like Raquel Cruz, the uncertainty is taking a toll. “To remove insurance from hardworking people that need it … Read More
AUSTIN — Gov. Greg Abbott’s administration is trying to avoid mailing health insurance cancellation notices to nearly half a million children three days before Christmas. Unless it can get $90 million more in federal funding, though, Texas will end its … Read More
If Congress doesn’t reauthorize funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) soon, it’s not just Texas children who could lose access to health insurance; thousands of pregnant women could lose coverage, too. Texas doesn’t run the program without federal … Read More
A Montgomery doctor pleaded guilty to federal charges after he unnecessarily prescribed several different drugs as part of a “pill mill” operation, according to a U.S. Attorneys Office news release. Source: Montgomery doctor pleads guilty to unnecessarily prescribing opiates, health care … Read More
It’s hair-on-fire time in Congress. Lawmakers responsible for looking out for folks back home are in a mad dash to get a mountain of past-due work completed by year’s end. Buried under the headline-grabbing controversies is one of life and … Read More
HOUSTON, Nov. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — DentaQuest, the leading purpose-driven oral health company and the largest Medicaid dental benefits administrator in the nation, has donated $10,000 to the Memorial Hermann School-Based Health Centers’ mobile dental program. This donation marks the … Read More
GLADEWATER – An East Texas family is fighting the state to keep their son alive. Three year old Asa Robinson was adopted with multiple medical conditions, including a hole in his heart and shaken baby syndrome. Charity Robinson said she … Read More
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A local dentist accused of sexually assaulting a teen patient sues the police who put him behind bars. Jose Turcios, founder and owner of Healthy Smiles dentistry, was arrested by Little Rock Police in March 2015. … Read More
HICKORY – Several Viewmont Elementary students got a jump start on their dental care after a recent visit by the Gaston Family Health Services mobile dental unit. Viewmont Principal Jeff Hodakowski said this was the first year his school has … Read More
An alleged $100 million fraud lawsuit over gift cards given to people to urinate in cups at Whataburger bathrooms is heating up in federal court, with each side accusing the other of going too far. Insurance giant UnitedHealthcare alleges that … Read More
The recent news surrounding federal prosecutors bringing Medicare fraud cases against doctors, pharmacies and marketers in Texas cities provides some justice where it is needed. The cases in Texas spotlight a scheme involving pharmacy owners and marketers paying kickbacks and … Read More
AstraZeneca PLC is in talks to settle a Texas lawsuit claiming the company fleeced the state’s Medicaid program by fraudulently marketing one of its top drugs, according to court filings. Texas sued the drugmaker in 2013, saying AstraZeneca had targeted … Read More
If he’s confirmed as the next secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar will have his hands full. The Office of Inspector General has identified 10 management and performance challenges that the HHS faces across all … Read More
A Brooklyn doctor and four co-conspirators plead guilty in the past week to defrauding Medicare and Medicaid of $30 million, after it was discovered they were billing patients for unnecessary services. Elderly patients were charged for inessential tests and medical … Read More
A federal grand jury in Houston has returned a, indictment against three people, including two siblings, charging them with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, kickbacks and money laundering connected with an alleged federal workers’ compensation fraud scheme, according to the … Read More
HOUSTON (FOX 26) – In the weeks before Veterans Day, a Houston dentist met a U.S. Air Force veteran who was struggling with dental issues and decided to surprise him with the gift of $15,000 worth of dental work. Dr. … Read More
A newly unsealed Florida whistleblower lawsuit alleges software used at more than 300 hospitals is leading them to overbill Medicare and Medicaid. Epic Systems Corp.’s software does not comply with 2012 guidelines for counting the number of minutes a patient … Read More
AUSTIN – Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Charles Smith announced today Stephanie Muth will be the next State Medicaid director. She will oversee the Medicaid/CHIP Services division, which is the hub for the Texas Medicaid program. She will begin … Read More
Despite her claims to the contrary, a state appeals court panel has found that a woman committed insurance fraud when she lied so she could get her teeth fixed. Amy Lee Palmer sent a forged a letter from an insurer … Read More
Buda voters on Tuesday will decide whether the Central Texas city should again add fluoride to its water supply. The widespread and decades-old practice of fluoridation — roughly three-fourths of Americans live in communities with fluoridated water supplies — is … Read More
Two remaining defendants in a $36 million fraud scheme have admitted to taking part in the collection of unnecessary lab tests of saliva and urine that were billed to the U.S. military’s health care system, according to plea documents. Jody … Read More
A former WakeMed Health employee filed a lawsuit against a large electronic health record vendor under the False Claims Act for allegedly fraudulent practices in its medical claims software, according to court documents. Geraldine Petrowski, of North Carolina, alleges the … Read More
he husband and wife co-owners of a Matteson-based youth counseling center are accused of using an inflated billing scheme to defraud Medicaid out of millions of dollars, a lawsuit filed by the U.S. attorney in Chicago and the state alleges. … Read More
A former Aliso Viejo resident was sentenced to eight years in prison on Monday for submitting fraudulent bills to insurance companies for $8 million in medical tests and services that were never performed. Michael Mirando, 40, who now resides in … Read More
Police arrested a 55-year-old San Antonio man Monday accused of practicing dentistry without a license and performing an eight-hour surgery on a woman that caused “extreme damage” to her mouth. Isidro De Jesus Manjarres now faces a charge of practicing … Read More
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – An Osceola County judge denied two motions Monday to dismiss a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of a 17-year-old boy. The lawsuit alleges the 17-year-old stopped breathing during a dental procedure at a dental office … Read More
A Dallas woman on Thursday was the last of seven people sentenced in a large-scale health care fraud scheme. Cynthia Stiger, 52, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison and ordered to pay $23.6 million in restitution to Medicare … Read More
HOW brave the dental scammers are in advertising their services online, be it for dentures, braces or retainers! Equally alarming is the growing pool of customers using the services of fake dentists. Many eyes were opened to the trend of … Read More
AUSTIN – Attorney General Ken Paxton says the man who shelled out the most money to help him combat securities fraud charges is a “family friend,” but a review of campaign finance records show his main financier is also a … Read More
San Antonio — Open enrollment for Medicare is going on now through December 7th, giving scam artists another opportunity to steal personal information from unsuspecting recipients. Medical identity theft is different than other types of identity theft in that someone … Read More
Cesar Tavera, the former executive director of a community health center in Camden, was sentenced Monday to more than five years in prison for stealing money from the nonprofit, which was created to provide mental health services for the city’s … Read More
Antibiotics prescribed by dentists can put patients at risk for developing a serious and potentially deadly infection that causes severe diarrhoea, according to US research presented at IDWeek 2017 earlier this month. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) tracked community-associated … Read More
I was at the dentist recently for a toothache. He snapped some X-rays, gave my mouth a quick lookover, said I appeared to have cracked the tooth (likely from my severe TMJ) and would need a root canal. He forwarded … Read More
CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) — The executive director of a nonprofit that provided mental health services to Camden’s poor is now headed to prison for embezzling funds and using unqualified people to treat Medicaid recipients. Federal prosecutors say Cesar Tavera was … Read More
Alerted to a medical emergency at the dental office next door, registered nurse Chelsea Moriartey grabbed a crash cart and ran to help. As she rushed into the room, she saw a small girl lying on the floor. Dr. William … Read More
