Two dentist offices in Haverhill and one in Methuen are among 21 paying the state $475,000 after being accused of improperly billing MassHealth.
Rivers Edge Family Dental and Water St. Family Dental of Haverhill, and Dr. Dental of Methuen, double billed the Commonwealth, according to Attorney General Maura Healey.
“This pattern of problematic billing cost MassHealth thousands of dollars and violated state regulations,” Healey said. “This settlement will provide restitution to MassHealth and will ensure that these funds are properly used to benefit its members.”
The dental practices, operated by Dr. Julia Faigel and her brother Alexander Faigel, billed MassHealth for both initial pain relief and tooth extraction the same day when the Medicaid program accepts one treatment or the other. The improper billing, which the attorney general said is also prohibited by American Dental Association’s Code on Dental Procedures, took place over a six-year period, ending last month.
The nearly half-million-dollar settlement also resolves a complaint Dr. Faigel, of Newton, provided the services when, in fact, other dentists delivered the care.