Attorney General William Tong has announced a $714,446 settlement with Dent Plus Family Dentistry, L&M Family Dentistry, and their owners Ivan Makar and Oleg Losin. The agreement resolves allegations that the dental practices violated state and federal False Claims Act statutes by paying prohibited fees to a patient recruiting company.
Dent Plus operated in Stamford and L&M in New Haven; both practices have since closed. This marks the sixth settlement resulting from ongoing joint civil investigations with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation into alleged kickback-related claims for services provided to Connecticut Medicaid patients referred by third-party recruiters.
According to authorities, between January 1, 2019, and September 6, 2020, Makar and Losin were enrolled in the Connecticut Medical Assistance Program (CMAP), which includes Medicaid. During this period, they allegedly paid a third-party recruiter $135 for each Medicaid patient referred when those patients received dental services beyond routine preventative care. Officials assert that this conduct was prohibited under federal anti-kickback laws as well as CMAP provider agreements and guidelines from the Connecticut Dental Health Partnership.
“Paying kickbacks for patient recruitment is illegal. 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,” said Attorney General Tong.
The Attorney General’s office encourages anyone with information about suspected fraud or abuse in public healthcare programs to contact their Government Fraud Section or other relevant agencies listed by phone or email.
Assistant Attorney General Joshua L. Jackson, Legal Investigator Timothy Edwards, and Deputy Associate Attorney General Gregory O’Connell contributed to this case.
