Law Offices of James R. Moriarty: $5.1 Million Settlement in Whistleblower Case Involving Samson Dental Partners, LLC and ImmediaDent of Indiana, LLC
Nov 02, 2018, 14:02 ET
HOUSTON, Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Samson Dental Partners, LLC and ImmediaDent of Indiana, LLC agreed to pay $5.1 million to the federal government, the State of Indiana, and a whistleblower dentist to resolve a qui tam case with fraud allegations, according to the legal team for the dentist.
A settlement agreement was entered into among the U.S. Department of Justice (on behalf of the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services), the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Office of the Indiana Attorney General, and Jihaad Abdul-Majid, DDS.
The qui tam complaint alleged that the defendants engaged in illegal corporate practice of dentistry and various types of fraud, including fraudulent billing, excessive and unnecessary treatments of excessive patients, and a sustained pressure by non-dentists in management positions to place corporate profits over patient care by exerting undue influence on dental care decisions.
Dr. Abdul-Majid, who will receive $925,000 plus expenses, attorneys' fees and costs, is represented by Charles S. Siegel, of Waters & Kraus, LLP, of Dallas; Daniel Hargrove, of The Hargrove Law Firm, P.C., of San Antonio; James R. Moriarty, of the Law Offices of James R. Moriarty, of Houston; and Joseph D. Satterly and Paul Kelley of Satterly & Kelley, PLLC, of Louisville, Ky.
According to the settlement, the federal government and the state of Indiana contend that they have certain civil claims against Samson Dental Partners, LLC and ImmediaDent arising from the submission of false claims for payment to Medicaid during the period from Jan. 1, 2009, through Sept. 30, 2013, for the following conduct:
- Samson Dental Partners, LLC engaged in the corporate practice of dentistry in violation of Indiana state law by exerting obtrusive influences over ImmediaDent's medical professionals and staff by rewarding production and disciplining for not meeting production objectives and directing personnel in a manner which compromised clinical judgment;
- Samson Dental Partners, LLC and ImmediaDent upcoded simple tooth extractions and improperly billed them as surgical extractions; and
- Samson Dental Partners, LLC and ImmediaDent improperly billed for scale and root planing (deep cleaning) when they were either not performed or not medically necessary.
ImmediaDent operates nine dental care practices in Indiana. Samson Dental Partners, LLC, headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., provides administrative and other support services to ImmediaDent.
The case is "United States ex rel. Jihaad Abdul-Majid, et al. v. ImmediaDent Specialty, P.C., et al.," Civil Action No. 3:13-cv-222-CRS in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. The case was originally filed on Feb. 20, 2013 by Dr. Abdul-Majid. The federal government and the state of Indiana intervened in the case in September 2018.
The lawsuit alleged violations Federal False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. § 3730(b), and the Indiana False Claims and Whistleblower Protection Act, Indiana Code 5-11-5.5-4.
The settlement agreement is neither an admission of liability by SDP and ImmediaDent nor a concession by the federal government and the state of Indiana that their claims are not well founded.
CONTACTS:
Charles S. Siegel
Waters & Kraus, LLP
(214) 357-6244
[email protected]
www.waterskraus.com
Daniel Hargrove
The Hargrove Law Firm, P.C.
(210) 710-2867
[email protected]
James R. Moriarty
Law Offices of James R. Moriarty
(713) 528-0700
[email protected]
www.moriarty.com
Joseph D. Satterly
Satterly & Kelley, PLLC
(502) 785-8758
[email protected]
www.satterleylaw.com
Paul Kelley
Satterly & Kelley, PLLC
(502) 785-8758
[email protected]
www.satterleylaw.com
SOURCE Law Offices of James R. Moriarty