Oklahoma families sue Dental clinics
Two dental clinics, in Oklahoma, are being sued by families who claim that dentists performed unnecessary procedures on their children. The Oklahoma Smiles and Small Smiles clinics, in south Oklahoma and Tulsa respectively, have both been hit by class action lawsuits by hundreds of parents in the state. It is claimed that the Oklahoma Smiles clinic is performing these treatments in order to receive more money from Medicaid.
Some parents have claimed that they were bullied into agreeing to the work and others have sent out warnings about the activities going on. Lorena Hernandez claimed that her three-year-old daughter had nine of her teeth capped without her permission. ‘They just capped them and I thought they were right,’ she said. ‘They lied. She didn’t need it. You never think a kid’s dentist would do something to harm your kid. You trust them.’
The groups attorney, Michael Brooks Jimenez, was quoted as saying; ‘People have been threatened that if they don’t send their children to that dentist, they don’t authorise service, they will lose Medicaid for their kids.’ Brookes Jimenez also spoke to former employees of the clinic, all of whom accused the dentists there of fraud; ‘This company created incentives that compensate dentists for the amount they could bill Medicaid,’ said Brooks Jimenez.
The owner of the office didn’t comment on the case, but the company that manages the clinic, FORBA, did release a statement; ‘While we do not comment on pending litigation; we take any patient concern seriously and remain committed to providing high quality dental services to the children who rely on the dental center for their care.’
A FORBA managed clinic has come under scrutiny in the past, with multiple cases of Medicaid fraud being reported to the federal government.
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