Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1212192
13 BECKER'S DENTAL + DSO REVIEW - VOL. 1 FEB 2020 Florida dentist warns against $400 home braces Facebook offer By Gabrielle Masson A Florida dentist is cautioning patients against a Facebook post offering $400 braces from home, according to ABC and NBC affiliate First Coast News. A woman offered $400 braces for children in a private Facebook group named "Duval County Directory and Pro- mo." First Coast News has chosen not to identify the woman, who also offered a year of dental services after the procedure. Some people in the Facebook group claim the woman is a dental assistant performing orthodontic work from her home, but First Coast News did not verify this claim. If true, that situation could present safety and health risks regarding proper licensing and FDA approval for any equipment used, Megan Moshea, DDS, a dentist at Jacksonville, Fla.-based Riverside Dental, told First Coast News. First Coast News was not able to reach the woman who made the post. n Arizona patient travels to Mexico for dental care, returns to $10K in overcharges By Mackenzie Garrity W hen Mary Jell traveled to Mexico for her dental treat- ment, she claims the practice agreed the implant would cost $1,800. However, when she returned to Arizona, she was overbilled $10,000, according to AZ Central. Ms. Jell visited Cordova Dental Care in Los Algodones after hearing reviews from friends that the practice provided afford- able and quality dental care. After undergoing the surgery for the dental implant, Ms. Jell said she was very satisfied, noting the practice even made accommodations for her to get pain medication. Soon after the 2017 implant, Ms. Jell alleges she began being charged $3,000 a week on her credit card for several weeks, with charges topping $10,000 from the practice. Ms. Jell called Discover. However, Discover said they couldn't help her at first, saying the charges were legitimate. Ms. Jell worked for months to get the charges resolved. She turned to Call for Action volunteers for help. The group helps consumers resolve disputes over fraud claims. After continuous attempts to contact Cordova Dental Care, a longtime staffer confirmed that an employee had been termi- nated for accounting problems, reported AZ Central. A year after her procedure, Ms. Jell learned that she would no longer be responsible for paying the $10,000 bill thanks to the efforts of the volunteer group. n Hoverboard dentist guilty on 46 counts, 'unlawful dental acts' By Gabrielle Masson A n Anchorage, Alaska-based dentist has been convicted of 46 charges including felony fraud charges and "unlawful dental acts," which included performing oral surgery while riding on a hoverboard, according to a Jan. 17 Alaska Department of Law news release. e five-week trial found Seth Lookhart, DMD, guilty of medical assistance fraud, scheme to defraud, illegal practice of dentistry and reckless endangerment. e dentist unnecessarily sedated patients to maximize Medicaid payments, removed teeth without permission and failed to meet professional patient care standards. His practice, Lookhart Dental, was also found guilty of all 40 counts alleged against it. Superior Court Judge Michael Wolverton said the state's evidence was "oen supported, and oen in excruciating detail, by Lookhart's own texts, photos and videos,'' according to the news release. In July 2016, the dentist filmed a "dental extraction procedure on a sedated patient while riding a hoverboard" and then sent it to several people. Dr. Lookhart joked that treating patients on a hoverboard was a "new standard of care," according to phone records cited in the lawsuit. Dr. Lookhart's sentencing is set for April 30. n QUALITY & INFECTION CONTROL