Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued a group of dental providers and sham marketers claiming they bribed Medicaid patients to have medically unnecessary procedures performed.
The lawsuit claims that the providers paid marketers to target Medicaid beneficiaries by offering gift cards in exchange for becoming a patient at their dental practices, according to a March 30 news release from the attorney general’s office.
The dentists and practices would then allegedly perform medically unnecessary and high-risk dental procedures to bill Texas Medicaid. The marketers would frequently circulate patients through the network of dental practices to maximize reimbursements, the lawsuit claims.
The scheme, which involved four marketers and 11 providers, led to tens of thousands of fraudulent Medicaid claims, according to the lawsuit.
The Office of the Attorney General is seeking full restitution, civil penalties and all available remedies to hold the defendants accountable and recover taxpayer funds, the release said.
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