KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The United States Attorney’s Office announced today that Dr. Don Flanagan, D.D.S., and his affiliated companies, Dental Center, Inc. and Dental Center, P.C. d/b/a Cloudland Dental (“Cloudland Dental”), have agreed to pay $1,500,000 to resolve allegations that they knowingly and improperly submitted false claims for dental services to TennCare in violation of the False Claims Act (“FCA”) and the Tennessee Medicaid False Claims Act (“TMFCA”). Franci Raines, who was formerly employed as Cloudland Dental’s Business Manager, also agreed to resolve similar allegations against her.
TennCare requires that dentists apply for and receive approval before billing for services rendered to beneficiaries. This approval process, which is known as credentialing, requires, among other things, that applicants submit relevant information about their educational background, licensure status, insurance coverage, as well as information about any criminal history, malpractice claims, and state board disciplinary history. The credentialing process is intended to ensure that beneficiaries receive the highest quality of care from competent providers who have been vetted prior to rendering services.
Dr. Flanagan formerly owned Cloudland Dental, which operated dental clinics located in Chattanooga, Cleveland, Crossville, and Sweetwater. The settlement resolves allegations that, from January 2015 through February 2019, Cloudland Dental knowingly submitted, or caused to be submitted,...
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