The owners and former staff of Small Smiles Dentistry in Albany, NY, may face serious charges depending on the outcome of three continuing state investigations, according to report by TV station WRGB CBS 6.
In a five-part investigative series televised in 2008, CBS 6 talked to more than 100 parents who accused the clinic of hurting their children and committing Medicaid fraud. Since then, the original dentists have left, and the clinic has changed its name to Access Dentistry, the station reported.
The state attorney general's office has "an active and ongoing investigation of Small Smiles Dentistry in conjunction with investigations by multiple state and federal agencies" through its Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, a spokesperson told CBS 6.
In addition, the Office of the Medicaid Inspector General (OMIG) can terminate or exclude the clinic and former dentists from receiving Medicaid monies, and can seek monetary damages. OMIG terminated Small Smiles from the state's Medicaid program in 2008, but the parent company legally regained its status when it renamed the clinic, CBS 6 reported.
The clinic is also being investigated by the New York State Education Department's Office of Professional Discipline.
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