The national dental chain was fined $1.375 million for violating state regulations by improperly billing MassHealth, the Massachusetts Medicaid program, and to resolve a lawsuit filed under the False Claims act filed by a former employee under the whistleblower provisions.
Dental Dreams can't brush away charges
By Peter Jasinski
BOSTON -- Dental Dreams, a national dental chain with locations in Leominster and Worcester, has agreed to pay $1.375 million to resolve allegations that it improperly billed the Massachusetts Medicaid Program for unnecessary and unjustifiable dental procedures, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
"This dental chain's extensive improper billing violated state regulations and cost our state's Medicaid program more than a million dollars," said state Attorney General Maura Healey in a recent statement. "As a result of this joint investigation, today's settlement provides restitution to MassHealth and ensures that these funds are properly used to benefit its members."
According to a statement provided by the U.S. Department of Justice, the settlement resolves allegations that Dental Dreams overbilled the Massachusetts Medicaid program for surgical extractions of teeth and for a specific kind of oral examination that was not specified.
"Medicaid is designed to provide health care services to some of the most vulnerable members of our society and it's our agency's mission to ensure government health funds are spend properly," said Special Agent in Charge Phillip Coyne of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.
The settlement also resolves a lawsuit filed by a former employee under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to sue on behalf of the government for false claims for government funds and to receive a share of any recovery.
State and federal investigators announcement the settlement Tuesday, but did not disclose the location of where the alleged infractions took place. Apart from Dental Dreams' Sack Boulevard location, the company also has offices in Lowell, Lynn, Fall River, Springfield, New Bedford, Brockton, Lawrence, Roxbury and Raynham.