Dedicated Dental has reached an agreement with state and federal agencies regarding allegedly erroneous Medicaid reimbursements submitted by one of its offices in Bakersfield, CA, for the years 2002-2005.
Under terms of the agreement, Dedicated Dental will repay $364,500 for the erroneous billings and pay another $364,500 as additional damages. The company also entered into a five-year corporate integrity agreement with the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
While Dedicated Dental and its parent company, InterDent, admit no wrongdoing, they remain "firmly committed to complying with all rules, regulations, and laws in the office where these allegations surfaced, and in all of the offices the companies operate," they stated in a press release.
Dedicated Dental also announced that it plans to close four of nine offices in the Bakersfield area this summer. Because most patients will be relocated to existing offices, employee layoffs are anticipated to be minimal.
