Two Connecticut dental offices will pay $714,446 to resolve allegations they paid a third party to refer Medicaid patients for lucrative services.
According to a release from Attorney General William Tong Wednesday, Dent Plus Family Dentistry in Stamford, L&M Family Dentistry in New Haven and owners Ivan Makar and Oleg Losin will pay as part of a joint state and federal settlement stemming from alleged violations of the federal anti-kickback statute, and state provider agreements.
The case was investigated jointly by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the federal Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
According to Tong’s office, Makar and Losin were providers enrolled in the the Connecticut Medical Assistance Program, which includes Connecticut Medicaid, from Jan. 1, 2019 to Sept. 6, 2020. During that time, the pair allegedly paid a patient recruiting company $135 for each Connecticut Medicaid patient who received dental services beyond routine preventative care like dental cleanings and exams.
“Paying kickbacks for patient recruitment is illegal,” Tong said in the release. “Dentists participating in Connecticut’s public healthcare programs are responsible for knowing the law. This is the sixth settlement arising from ongoing joint investigations, and we will continue to work closely with our state and federal partners to aggressively protect the integrity of our public healthcare programs.”
The case is the sixth brought as a result of the joint investigation. Assistant Attorney General Joshua L. Jackson, Legal Investigator Timothy Edwards, and Deputy Associate Attorney General Gregory O’Connell, Chief of the Government Fraud Section, assisted the attorney general in the case.