Kool Smiles Dental Clinics to Pay Nearly $24 Million to Settle FCA Case

4514 Cole Ave, #600 | Dallas, Texas 75205

Call Kardell Law Group 214-306-8045

A national chain of dental clinics that has been connected to a pair of child deaths in Arizona will be forced to pay $23.9 million to the United States government and 17 states after it allegedly submitted false claims to Medicaid programs in those states.

The settlement announcement came from the U.S. Department of Justice, which said Benevis LLC and its more than 130 affiliated Kool Smiles clinics had agreed to pay the settlement. According to the DOJ’s announcement, Kool Smiles clinics across those 17 states allegedly knowingly submitted false claims for unnecessary procedures, such as baby root canals, stainless steel crowns and tooth extractions.

Healthcare fraud is one of the most costly forms of fraud in the United States. Healthcare facilities and clinics that bill Medicaid programs for unnecessary procedures help to contribute to consistent increases in the costs of healthcare. By prescribing these procedures, providers put patients at risk as a means of getting extra money back from the federal government.

The Kool Smiles clinic in Yuma, Arizona has already been in the news after two infant deaths were tied to procedures received there. These deaths are not connected to the recent settlement.

False Claims Act suits can be lucrative

Under the False Claims Act, private citizens may file lawsuits against individuals and entities on behalf of the federal government if they become aware of internal wrongdoing. If the Department of Justice joins in the suit, the whistleblower stands to earn a significant amount of money in awards from enforcement actions.

For more information on filing a False Claims Act lawsuit, meet with an experienced Dallas lawyer at Whistleblower Law for Managers today.

By Steve Kardell | Published April 16, 2018 | Posted in Whistleblower Litigation | Tagged child deaths in Arizona, dental clinics, False Claims Act, Kool Smiles Dental Clinics

Awards & Honors

Our Office

Dallas Office
4514 Cole Ave
#600
Dallas, Texas 75205
Phone: 214-306-8045
Fax: 469-729-9926

Testimonials

"Steve Kardell was terrific in representing me in some very adversarial discussions with Citigroup and also later represented me in my testimony before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission." -Richard Bowen, Citigroup Whistleblower
"Incredible knowledge of employee related concerns and equally brilliant knowledge of health care regulations, standards of practice. I would recommend this firm to anyone." -V.B.
"Reaching out to Steve Kardell was the best decision I made. His ability to provide immediate insight and direction was very powerful, and a huge relief during a very stressful time period. For anyone struggling with a whistleblower situation, I would highly recommend at least speaking with Steve. After a 10 minute call with him, I had a better understanding of what I was dealing with. Even better, he gave me some immediate hope. In the end Steve did a better job than I thought was possible. Steve was able to get in contact with people in my organization, that I didn’t have access to. Because of his years of experience, he already has contacts in many organizations in Dallas. The entire situation was handled peacefully. I was impressed by his ability to “keep the peace”–rather than creating a battle with the organization. The reason I didn’t reach out to a lawyer initially, was because I thought it would mean an immediate end to any hope of a positive relationship with the company. Steve was able to address my concerns, and in the end I was able to continue to work for them." -KS
"Never thought my career would end like it did after 30 years of service. I was part of the first round of the so called reduction of force. I asked myself how can I be part of this with 30 years of seniority. How did they pick these 90 plus employees? Now, the culture of this organization made you question every decision they made. It wasn’t what you knew it’s was a culture of who you know. Nonetheless, I did not accept their severance package. I immediately starting looking for an attorney who would take on my case. After the initial call to Steve I had hope again. He was open and honest about everything and reassured me he would do his best for me, and he did. I had an awesome outcome. Thanks Steve you’re the best." -S.S.