A Connecticut dental practice and its dentist owners agreed to pay nearly $500,000 to settle allegations they paid kickbacks in exchange for new patients, according to the Office of the Attorney General of Connecticut.
Advanced Dental Center in Norwalk, CT, and its owners, Drs. Tal Yossefi and Elad Yossefi, agreed to pay $495,721 to resolve allegations that they violated state and U.S. False Claims Act statutes by allegedly paying fees to a patient recruiting company, according to a press release dated May 9 from the state attorney general's office.
“Paying kickbacks for patient recruitment is illegal,” Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said in the press release. “Dentists participating in Connecticut’s public healthcare programs are responsible for knowing the law.”
From July 1, 2018, to December 31, 2018, Advanced Dental allegedly paid a third-party patient recruiting company $120 for each Connecticut Medicaid patient the company referred to them whenever the patient received dental services beyond routine preventive care, like routine dental exams. These alleged actions violate the U.S. Anti-Kickback Statute and its state provider agreement, according to the press release.
