January 16, 2015 — Dental Medicaid fraud is rarely undetected by dental clinic insiders. But many health care employees try to keep their heads down just so they can hold onto their jobs — until they are asked to participate. For many, that’s the time to think about filing a False Claims Act lawsuit to stop billing fraud schemes against the government. When tipsters file a lawsuit against unethical dental practices under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, they may be rewarded for their courage with a share of the government’s recovery.
MaineCare Audit Allegedly Reveals that Rockport Dentist Filed Claims with Medicaid for Services Never Provided
A federal lawsuit has been filed against a Rockport, Maine dentist allegedly engaged in Medicaid fraud. Daniel P. Schecter has also faced past disciplinary action by the Maine Board of Dental Examiners.
The False Claims Act lawsuit alleges that in an audit performed by MaineCare, it was discovered that between 2009 and 2011, Schecter billed Maine’s Medicaid program for procedures on 50 patients that were not medically necessary. The lawsuit alleges that Schecter filed false claims with Medicaid seeking reimbursement to which he was not entitled. If Schecter is found to have engaged in the violations, he would be required to disgorge his ill-gotten gains and to pay a civil penalty of $5,500 to $11,000 for each false claim.
The Maine Board of Dental Examiners has investigated Schecter’s professional conduct on two previous occasions, once involving a patient who reportedly died four days after receiving dental care from Schecter and the second time after Schecter was found to have prescribed excessive pain medication for patients.
Dental Practice Insiders Collaborate to Stop Fraudulent Billing Schemes
While Waters & Kraus is not handling this particular case, we are representing whistleblowers in similar dental Medicaid fraud lawsuits. If you have comparable claims against a different dental provider, contact us or call our qui tam attorneys at 855.784.0268. Charles Siegel and Dan Hargrove, two of the qui tam lawyers in Waters & Kraus’ Texas office, protect tipsters throughout the whistleblower lawsuit process.
Contact us by email or call our attorneys at 855.784.0268 to learn more about our practice and how we can work together to notify the government about fraudulent abuses of government-funded programs.