Arkansas' attorney general Leslie Rutledge filed a lawsuit May 21 against a dentist and dental office for allegedly running a scheme to fraudulently bill Medicaid and performing "bogus procedures" on children and young adults.
Brian Moore, DDS, of the North Little Rock, Ark.-based Brown-Stringfellow dental practice, was arrested on charges of fraudulent billing in January 2019.
According to the attorney general, Dr. Moore only treated children eligible for Medicaid and misinformed caregivers about their child's dental treatment. The dental work performed was often unnecessary and invasive, such as drilling teeth, according to Ms. Rutledge. In some cases, Dr. Moore allegedly billed Medicaid for procedures his patients needed, but he never performed the work.
The dental office hired van drivers to recruit patients and drive children to appointments in exchange for a share of the profits, the lawsuit alleges. At least one parent said their signature was forged on consent forms that allowed children to be checked out of school to make appointments with Dr. Moore.