Small Smiles Dental Centers
Small Smiles Dental Centers was a privately-owned US chain of
Throughout the chain's history, it faced accusations of providing unnecessary dental care and improper restraint of child patients. In January 2010, it gained national attention when FORBA settled
Small Smiles clinics operated under multiple names, including Children's Dental Clinic, Indian Springs Dental Clinic, Oklahoma Smiles, Small Smiles Dentistry, Texas Smiles, and Wild Smiles.[9]
History
As a family practice
This section needs additional citations for verification. (January 2012) |
Small Smiles originated from a dental office that was opened in 1928 in
In 1995, the second Small Smiles clinic opened in
In 2000, the Small Smiles company began expanding throughout the United States.[5] During that year, FORBA, LLC (FOR Better Access) was formed, providing dental care to children across the United States.[citation needed]
In May 2004, the DeRose family had a financial stake in 21 dental clinics in eight states, including Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, New Mexico, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The clinics altogether employed 70 dentists. By May 29 of that year, the dental clinics that had most recently opened were in Florence, South Carolina and Kansas City, Kansas. Vogrin said that the DeRose family "built something of a dental dynasty."[10] As of October 2004, within the State of Colorado, Small Smiles had clinics in Aurora, Colorado Springs, Denver, Pueblo, and Thornton. As of that year, the vast majority of low income children on Medicaid in El Paso County went to Small Smiles. The company also had an advertising agreement with Colorado Springs School District 11.[14] As of May 20, 2004, the Colorado clinics had 25 dentists. Two were pediatric dentists and the others were general dentists. According to a phone survey from the Colorado Springs Gazette, aside from Small Smiles, few other Colorado Springs dental offices took patients who were on Medicaid.[15]
By 2004,
A May 9, 2004 story in The Colorado Springs Gazette revealed that the children underwent large amounts of dental work at the clinics. In a 14-month period until May 20, 2004, the clinics charged over $16 million in Medicaid dental charges, and records from the Colorado state government revealed that many children each had over 10 teeth drilled and given silver caps within a single visit. The State of Colorado Medicaid office placed a daily limit on stainless steel crowns to slow the payments. In April 2004, Michael DeRose said that the children at Small Smiles had severe dental needs. The Colorado State Dental Board also reported Edward DeRose, Michael DeRose, and Mueller to two national databases that serve as clearinghouses for information on actions filed against dentists. The DeRoses and Mueller filed a complaint asking the board to have their names removed.[15]
47 Small Smiles dental clinics and other associated practices had opened in 16 states in a period of less than six years after the company began expanding throughout the U.S.[5]
Post-DeRose
In 2006, the DeRose family sold its share of Small Smiles.
After the ownership change in 2006, Small Smiles and its various clinics have pledged to be compliant with standards set in state and federal healthcare guidelines, as well as guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.[24] A Pediatric Dental Advisory Board was established in 2007 to assist Chief Dental Officer Stephen Adair in meeting quality of care standards.[25]
In 2007, reporter Roberta Baskin of WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C., and her crew filmed the opening ceremony and operations at a newly opening Small Smiles clinic in Langley Park, Maryland. Her crew filmed video of screaming children, bound with papoose boards, as technicians performed dental work. She filmed the lead dentist discussing production goals and stating that his clinic's dentists perform many baby root canals per day. Interviews with several former employees who either resigned or were fired after speaking out against the company's practices revealed other abuses, including dental staff conducting X-rays on children even though they were not certified to do so. The film and the investigative report aired on television led to legal action unfolding.[4] This sparked other stations across the United States to investigate area Small Smiles locations.[26]
In April 2008, Michael A. DeRose and Letitia L. Ballance settled with the United States and North Carolina to resolve False Claims Act allegations that their Medicaid Dental Center (MDC), previously known as Smile Starters and Carolina Dental Center, made false or fraudulent Medicaid claims. MDC agreed to pay $10,050,000 and to not contest that their dentists performed unwarranted pulpotomies and placed stainless steel crowns.[27]
A Kentucky woman named Debbie Hagan started a blog, "Dentist the Menace," which criticized the use of papoose boards at Small Smiles. Her blog included lists of documents, media accounts, other reports, and Hagan's research. Journalists used Hagan's blog to research the issue. Authorities from the State of New York contacted Hagan as part of their investigation of Small Smiles.[28] On November 14, 2008,[29] FORBA Holdings, LLC brought a lawsuit against Hagan,[28] alleging copyright infringement. The suit was dismissed on April 16, 2009, at FORBA's request.[29]
On September 28, 2009, a lawsuit was filed by FORBA Holdings, LLC against the company's former owners (LICSAC, LLC, DD Marketing, Inc., DeRose Management, LLC and LICSAC NY, LLC), citing breach of contract. On February 26, 2010, the case was dismissed with prejudice, with each party paying their own legal fees.[30]
In January 2010, the
... causing the submission of claims for reimbursement for a wide range of dental services provided to low-income children that were either medically unnecessary or performed in a manner that failed to meet professionally-recognized standards of care. These services included performing pulpotomies (baby root canals), placing crowns, administering anesthesia (including nitrous oxide), performing extractions, and providing fillings and/or sealants. ... In this case, FORBA put greed and profits before the well-being of children," said Timothy J. Heaphy, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia. "It endangered the health and safety of innocent children and defrauded the taxpayer of millions of dollars. Today's settlement addresses these egregious acts and sends a clear message that Medicaid fraud will be expeditiously addressed by this Department."[7]
Under the agreement, FORBA entered into a
In response, company chairman and CEO Michael Lindley posted a statement on the firm's website stating "...We entered into the settlement to avoid the delay, uncertainty, inconvenience and expense of litigation, and did not admit any liability."[3] Hagan said that she was glad that the settlement caused a financial loss for Small Smiles. She argued that this was not enough because the involved persons should also have received prison sentences and because the victims themselves needed financial compensation.[28]
On January 25, 2010, just days after the settlement was announced, a
Currently [
In February 2012, the company filed for
As of December 2012, Small Smiles treated about 500,000 children each year. In December 2012
In 2014, the Inspector General's Office announced that the management company Church Street Health Management will no longer be allowed to use Medicaid, Medicare, and other health programs of the federal government.[39] CSHM, LLC filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on February 5, 2015.[40]
Governance
Members of FORBA's Pediatric Dental Advisory Board included Paul Casamassimo, Chair of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at Ohio State University and Chief of Dentistry at Nationwide Children's Hospital; Joe Bernat, Chair of the Department of Pediatric and Community Dentistry at the State University of New York-Buffalo School of Dental Medicine; Arthur Nowak Professor Emeritus at the University of Iowa Colleges of Dentistry and Medicine; and Anupama Tate Director of Pediatric Dentistry at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.[41]
See also
References
- ^ "Contact Us". Church Street Health Management. Archived from the original on May 27, 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
Church Street Health Management 618 Church Street Suite 520 Nashville, TN 37219
- ^ "Church Street Health Management LLC". Bloomberg News. September 28, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
ADDRESS:618 Church Street Suite 520 Nashville, TN 37219 United States, PHONE: 1-615-750-0300 WEBSITE: www.cshm.com
- ^ a b Ruppel, Glenn; Thomas, Pierre (January 20, 2010). "'Small Smiles' Dental Chain Reaches Settlement for Medical Fraud". ABC News. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
- ^ Nieman Reports, Harvard University. Archivedfrom the original on January 17, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Small Smiles History". Small Smiles Dental Centers. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
- ^ "Contact a Dental Clinic, Reno, Nevada". Reno, Nevada. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
- ^ a b c "National Dental Management Company Pays $24 Million to Resolve Fraud Allegations". United States Department of Justice. January 20, 2010. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
- ^ "Small Smiles parent company changes ways, name following scandal". Nashville Business Journal. December 29, 2010. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
- ^ "bottom-logos.jpg". Small Smiles. Archived from the original on March 15, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e Stephen Barrett, M.D. (August 23, 2011). "Massive Dental Fraud Uncovered". Quackwatch. Archived from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
- ^ "Continuing a Legacy of Service Gift Establishes Endowed Chair in Dentistry." (Archive). Creighton Magazine. Northern Hemisphere Winter 2006. p. 43.
- ^ a b c Watson, Stuart. "Medicaid dentists pay taxpayers back $24 million Archived 2013-11-03 at the Wayback Machine." WCNC-TV. January 20, 2010. Retrieved on October 1, 2012.
- ^ Watson, Stewart. "Medicaid dentists pay taxpayers back $24 million." (Archive) WCNC-TV. January 20, 2010. Retrieved on May 15, 2013.
- ^ Colorado Springs Gazette. Published October 28, 2004. Published online on January 20, 2010. Retrieved on October 1, 2012.
- ^ The Colorado Springs Gazette. May 20, 2004. Retrieved on October 3, 2012. Available at HighBeam Research.
- ^ "Small Smiles owner settles case for $24 million." 9 News Colorado. January 22, 2010. Retrieved on October 1, 2012.
- Carlyle Group. September 2006. Retrieved June 10, 2011.
- ^ "ARCAPITA - Corporate Investment". Arcapita. September 2006. Retrieved June 10, 2011.
- ^ Nashville Post. Archived from the originalon March 29, 2012. Retrieved June 10, 2011.
- ^ "Arcapita Bank, affiliates acquire Sanus Holdings". Khaleej Times. January 16, 2007. Retrieved June 10, 2011.
- ^ "American Capital Invests in Dental Practice Management Company". American Capital Strategies. November 20, 2006. Retrieved June 10, 2011.
- ^ "Global Islamic Finance & Investment". King & Spalding. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2011.
- ^ "Forba is Making a Difference in Children's Lives" (PDF). The Waller Street News. Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP. May 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 16, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2011.
- ^ "Compliance". Small Smiles Dental Centers. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
- ^ "Quality & Compliance". Church Street Health Management. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
- WRGB-TV (CBS 6). Archived from the originalon March 4, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
- ^ "North Carolina Dental Services Chain Pays $10 Million to Resolve False Claims Allegations". United States Department of Justice. April 9, 2008. Archived from the original on October 17, 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
- ^ Colorado Springs Gazette. Archivedfrom the original on October 1, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
- ^ a b "FORBA Holdings, LLC v. Hagan". Boliven Legal Proceedings. Archived from the original on September 11, 2011. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
- ^ "FORBA Holdings, LLC v. LICSAC, LLC et al". Justia.com. Justia. Archived from the original on October 1, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
- ^ "Parnell v. FORBA Holding, LLC et al". Justia.com. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, pp. A-20, archived from the original(PDF) on April 6, 2011, retrieved August 26, 2011
- ^ McCarty, Dawn. "Church Street Health Management Files for Bankruptcy With Plan for Sale." Bloomberg. February 21, 2012. Retrieved on February 21, 2012.
- The Today Show. December 11, 2012. Retrieved on December 11, 2012.
- ^ Osdol, Paul Van. "Senate report says Small Smiles dental clinics wasting taxpayer money." (Archive) WTAE-TV. July 24, 2013. Retrieved on July 26, 2013.
- ^ Alltucker, Ken. "Senate probe targets dentists with Phoenix ties." The Arizona Republic. Thursday July 25, 2013. Retrieved on July 26, 2013.
- Anniston Star. July 25, 2013. Retrieved on July 26, 2013. "Among the report's recommendations are that the Department of Health and Human Service's inspector general exclude Small Smiles from receiving Medicaid payments, "and any other corporate entity that employs a fundamentally deceptive business model resulting in a sustained pattern of substandard care.""
- ^ "A STATEMENT FROM CSHM LLC REGARDING THE JOINT STAFF REPORT ON THE CORPORATE PRACTICE OF DENTISTRY IN THE MEDICAID PROGRAM." (Archive) Small Smiles. Retrieved on July 26, 2013.
- ^ Reynolds, Talesha. "Firm That Manages Dental Clinics for Kids Excluded From Medicaid" (Archive). NBC News. March 13, 2014. Retrieved on March 15, 2014.
- ^ "Company Overview of CSHM, LLC." Bloomberg. Retrieved on May 16, 2018.
- ^ "Dr. Anupama Tate Joins FORBA Pediatric Advisory Board". BusinessWire. September 29, 2009. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
Further reading
- "JOINT STAFF REPORT ON THE CORPORATE PRACTICE OF DENTISTRY IN THE MEDICAID PROGRAM." 113th U.S. Congress, 1st Session. ST. Prt. 113-16. Prepared by Staff of the Committee on Finance United States Senate Max Baucus, Chairman, and Committee on the Judiciary United States Senate Chuck Grassley, Ranking Member. June 2013. also available on Scribd.
- "Dental committee suggests regulation of child restraints." The Colorado Springs Gazette. September 19, 2004.
- "State will tighten rules for dentists to restrain kids." The Colorado Springs Gazette. October 20, 2004.
- "Letters." The Colorado Springs Gazette. May 18, 2004.
- Burkhalter, Eddie. "Corporate dentistry criticized for unethical practices, unnecessary procedures Archived October 2, 2013, at the Wayback Machine." The Anniston Star. July 28, 2013.
- "Four Women Sue Santa Fe Dental Clinic." Associated Press at the Albuquerque Journal. Tuesday September 26, 2006.
- "Clinics boost access to dental care." Worcester Telegram & Gazette. July 19, 2005.
- Heath, David (Frontline. July 25, 2013.
- Letter from Chuck Grassley to Michael G. Lindley, Chairperson and CEO of Church Street Health Management (Archive)
- Caher, John. "Lawsuit Proceeds Against Dental Chain That Left Child in Pain." New York Law Journal. August 20, 2013.
External links
- Small Smiles Dental Centers website at the Wayback Machine (archive index)
- Church Street Health Management website at the Wayback Machine (archive index)
- "Smile Dentist". www.smiledentist.co.uk. London. Archived from the original on May 14, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- WJLA-TV "ABC 7 TEAM Investigation: Small Smiles Dentistry."
- "I-Team: Small Smiles." Monday November 5, 2007.
- "I-Team: Investigation Changes Dental Care Procedures in Maryland."
- Letter from United States Senator Chuck Grassley (Archive)
- Colorado State Board of Dental Examiners
- "Before the State Board of Dental Examiners State of Colorado Case No. 2004-000131 Cease and Desist Order To: Edward DeRose, D.D.S.." (Archive)
- "Before the State Board of Dental Examiners State of Colorado Case No. 2004-000132 Cease and Desist Order To: Michael DeRose, D.D.S.." (Archive)
- "Before the State Board of Dental Examiners State of Colorado Case Nos. 2005-001705, 2006-00302 Stipulation and Final Agency Order." (Archive)
- Dentist the Menace - Debbie Hagan's blog