Attorney General Tong Announces $498,310 False Claims Settlement With C&S Family Dental Practices Over Prohibited Patient Recruiting Fees

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05/06/2024

Attorney General Tong Announces $498,310 False Claims Settlement With C&S Family Dental Practices Over Prohibited Patient Recruiting Fees

(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong and United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut Vanessa Roberts Avery today announced a $498,310 settlement agreement with C&S Family Dental New Britain, LLC (“C&S New Britain”); C&S Family Dental Waterbury, LLC (“C&S Waterbury”), Bohun Choi, DDS (“Dr. Choi"), and Michong Son, DDS (“Dr. Son”), resolving allegations that they violated state and federal False Claims Act statutes through prohibited fees paid to a “patient recruiting” company. C&S New Britain and C&S Waterbury will be collectively referred to as the “C&S Entities.”

The C&S Entities are owned and operated by Dr. Choi and Dr. Son. The C&S Entities, Dr. Choi, and Dr. Son are enrolled in the Connecticut Medical Assistance Program (“CMAP”), which includes the Connecticut Medicaid program.

The Connecticut Office of the Attorney General conducted a joint civil investigation with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the federal Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. From approximately April 2018 to January 2020, the C&S Entities, Dr. Choi and Dr. Son are alleged to have paid a third-party patient recruiting company $110 for each Connecticut Medicaid patient the company referred to them, whenever a patient received dental services over and above routine preventative care (such as dental cleanings and exams). The State of Connecticut and the United States contend that the alleged conduct was prohibited by the federal anti-kickback statute, 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(b), as well as the Connecticut Dental Health Partnership (“CTDHP”) provider manual. The CTDHP provider manual is an addendum to both the CMAP provider agreement, as well as the CMAP provider manual. The State of Connecticut and the United States contend that they had certain civil claims against the C&S Entities, Dr. Choi and Dr. Son for their submission of kickback-tainted claims to the CMAP for dental services allegedly rendered to Connecticut Medicaid patients referred to them by the patient recruiting company. The settlement agreement with the C&S Entities, Dr. Choi and Dr. Son resolves those civil claims.

This case stems from a larger investigation into fraudulent activity by health care providers who submit kickback-tainted claims to the CMAP for services rendered to Connecticut Medicaid patients referred by third-party patient recruiting companies.

“Dentists and dental practices participating in the Connecticut Medical Assistance Program are responsible for knowing and following the law and the rules related to that Program—including the prohibition against paying kickbacks for patient recruitment. My office 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.

Anyone with knowledge of suspected fraud or abuse in the public healthcare system is asked to contact the Attorney General’s Government Fraud Section at 860-808-5040 or by email at ag.fraud@ct.gov; the Connecticut Medicaid Fraud Control Unit at 860-258-5986 or by email at conndcj@ct.gov; or the Connecticut Department of Social Services fraud reporting hotline at 1-800-842-2155, online at www.ct.gov/dss/reportingfraud, or by email to providerfraud.dss@ct.gov.

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 this matter.

Twitter: @AGWilliamTong

Facebook: CT Attorney General

Media Contact:

Elizabeth Benton
elizabeth.benton@ct.gov

Consumer Inquiries:

860-808-5318
attorney.general@ct.gov