Dentists | The Health Law Firm Blog

Dentists Smiling as $80 Million Settlement Reached in Dental Supply Price-Fixing Class Action Suit

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

On August 30, 2018, after two years of litigation, a group of dentists tentatively reached an $80 million settlement in a proposed class action accusing the country’s biggest dental supply companies of colluding to fix prices. The three dominant distributors, Henry Schein Inc., Patterson Cos. Inc. and Benco Dental Supply Co. Inc., allegedly artificially inflated prices on crowns, numbing agents, X-ray accessories and other products.

Artificially Inflating Prices.

In 2016, the three distributors were accused of artificially inflating prices on various dental supplies and equipment. Products at issue included supplies such as adhesives, implants, tooth brushes, pins and […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:22-04:00October 1, 2018|Board of Dentistry, Dental Law, Dental Law Blog, Dentist Defense attorney, Dentistry Law, Dentists|

NYC Doctor Gets Prison Term for Posing as Clinic Owner in $30 Million Fraud Scheme

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

On August 22, 2018, a doctor received a sentence of one year and a day in prison from a New York federal court for his part in a $30 million scheme to defraud Medicare and the state Medicaid program. The doctor admitted to posing as the owner of a medical clinic and falsely claiming to have seen hundreds of patients. He pled guilty on January 11, 2018, to health care fraud and conspiracy to commit health care fraud, mail fraud and wire fraud, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Lies and Cover-ups.

The New York City doctor accepted responsibility […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:22-04:00September 7, 2018|Board of Dentistry, Dental Law, Dental Law Blog, Dentist Defense attorney, Dentistry Law, Dentists|

Dentists: Please, Please, Please Talk to an Attorney Before You Talk to an Investigator

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

Listen up, In Florida You DO NOT Have to Speak to an Investigator!

Despite mailing out hundreds of thousands of postcards and letters to dentists, throughout Florida, we continue to receive calls from new clients and from potential clients, after they have already spoken to and made critical harmful admissions against their own interests to investigators. In Florida, you do not have any duty to cooperate with any investigator who is investigating you. This extends to Department of Health (DOH) investigators (who are sometimes titled “Medical Quality Assurance Investigators” or “Medical Malpractice Investigators”), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:43-04:00May 15, 2018|Dentist Defense attorney, Dentistry Law, Dentists, Licensure matters|

Florida Board of Dentistry Proposes Change to Minimum Record Keeping Requirements for Dentists

By Christopher E. Brown, J.D., The Health Law Firm

On August 22, 2014, the Florida Board of Dentistry will meet to discuss implementing new requirements for record keeping. We believe that these changes are due to the Board’s concern over potential ambiguity with the current regulations, and due to the recent difficulty it had in disciplining Florida dentists for record keeping violations.

Read on for an outline of the proposed new requirements. Be sure to check this blog regularly. We will have a firm representative at this meeting and will post any updates.

Current Florida Rule.

Rule 64B5-17.002, Florida Administrative Code, provides the minimum record keeping requirements placed on Florida’s dentists. Currently, the rule requires […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:44-04:00May 15, 2018|Board of Dentistry, Dental Law, Dentistry Law, Dentists|

Florida Medicaid Audits Dental Claims

By Michael L. Smith, R.R.T., J.D., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

The Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) is auditing Medicaid claims submitted by dental providers in Florida. AHCA is auditing dental practices looking for claims that were not billed in compliance with the Florida Medicaid Dental Services Coverage and Limitations Handbook. AHCA’s audits are focused on claims that are billed too frequently, claims that are billed on the same date of service as a redundant code, and claims that have been unbundled when they should have been billed as part of a comprehensive code.

Specific Dental Codes Being Audited.

Dental providers that are the subject of these audits may […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:44-04:00May 15, 2018|Dental Law, Dentist Defense attorney, Dentistry Law, Dentists|

Florida Dentist Performs Disappearing Act With Patients’ Money

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

A Pensacola, Florida, dentist has disappeared, with his patients’ cash, and now the Escambia Sheriff’s Office is looking for both, according to a number of news sources. According to the Pensacola News Journal, the dentist closed his practice months ago without alerting his patients or performing services for which they had already paid. On January 23, 2014, the sheriff’s office sent out a request for former patients of the dentist to come forward.

Click here to read the Pensacola News Journal article.

Dentist’s Checkered Past.

According to the Florida Department of Health […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:44-04:00May 15, 2018|Dentists|

New Hampshire Dentist Indicted on 189 Counts of Medicaid Fraud

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

On December 20, 2013, a New Hampshire dentist was indicted on 189 counts of Medicaid fraud, according to a number of news sources. The dentist is alleged to have made false claims to the New Hampshire Medicaid office for procedures such as oral exams, X-rays, tooth extractions and orthopedic treatments performed between 2008 and 2013. According to the Concord Monitor, the dentist faces a maximum sentence of 1,323 years in prison. However, it is unlikely the dentist will receive such a long sentence. It is even more unlikely that he will serve the entire […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:44-04:00May 15, 2018|Dentist Defense attorney, Dentists|

Dentists: Call The Health Law Firm Attorneys From Representation in Short-Notice Depositions and Hearings

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

Our attorneys often receive calls from dentists and other health professionals regarding the possibility of representing them on short notice at a Board of Dentistry hearing, or at a deposition related to a health care matter.

We Take Last Minute Cases.

Some law firms may refuse to represent a client at a hearing unless given advance notice. In a perfect world, we would prefer to have a sufficient amount of time to prepare for a case in order to provide our clients with the best representation. However, we know the alternative is that the client either […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:44-04:00May 15, 2018|Board of Dentistry, Dentist Defense attorney, Dentists|

Florida Board of Dentistry Warns About Responding to or Consulting with Individuals Over Internet About Dental Issues

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

At the Florida Board of Dentistry meeting held on November 15, 2013, one of the committee chairs discussed an issue that has arisen nationally that is causing dentists legal problems. The issue arises when individuals contact a dentist over the internet seeking “information” on a dental condition or problem, and possible actions or procedures that can resolve these issues.

The concern with this is that the dentist may actually be diagnosing a dental condition or problem the individual has. The bigger concern is that if the individual contacting the dentist for information is in a different […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:43-04:00May 15, 2018|Board of Dentistry, Dentist Defense attorney, Dentists, Insurance, Licensure matters|

NAS Insurance (NAS) Attorneys, Lawyers and Defense Council in Florida

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

Often we learn after the fact that a health professional such as physicians, dentists and other health professionals has received NAS Insurance, has had a legal problem, and has not been able to locate an attorney or law firm that accepts this type of insurance. We have offices in Florida and Colorado, but we have attorneys licensed in Florida, Colorado, Louisiana, the District of Columbia, Virginia and other states.

Additionally, we can provide legal advice and representation in license investigations and administrative proceedings in many other states.

If you have NAS Insurance, do not go without an […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:43-04:00May 15, 2018|Dental Law, Dentist Defense attorney, Dentists|