Dental Chain Pays $24 Million After False Billing Charges

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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