January 11, 2018
by Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant
The national pediatric dental chain Kool Smiles and an affiliated business have agreed to pay $24 million to settle claims that they fraudulently billed Medicaid programs around the country for root canals, crowns and other unnecessary work on poor children.
The case against Kool Smiles arose after whistleblowers around the country, including a Connecticut dentist, complained to federal authorities that the chain paid substantial bonuses to dentists who met production goals that rewarded expensive, unneeded and often painful treatments for children who still had their baby teeth.
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[…] 8. Dental Chain Pays $24 Million After False Billing Charges Kool Smiles was feel the heat in 2018. After fraudulently billing Medicaid programs for unnecessary work on kids, it was revealed that bonuses were awarded to dentists who met their goals. Internal reward programs are great… until they cost you $24 million. […]