A Bucks County dental clinic that state prosecutors say misled elderly or low-income patients about expensive services will pay them roughly $517,000 in restitution.<\/p>\n
MORE:\u00a0<\/b>NPS doesn’t need to restore original slavery exhibits at President’s House, appeals court rules<\/a><\/p>\n Alpha Dental Excellence, which maintains an office in Langhorne, allegedly upsold pricey procedures to its patients on the promise that Medicare would cover them. But the health insurance program does not typically cover dental services and denied claims that the clinic filed for reimbursement.\u00a0<\/p>\n The state attorney general’s office also found<\/a> that the business applied for loans or other financing options on its patients’ behalf, sometimes without their knowledge. Alpha Dental Excellence did not provide mandatory disclosures about a debtor’s right to cancel and included false information on some of the applications it handled, officials said. It also allegedly enticed patients to sign up for expensive services by hosting free dinners and other “aggressive” sales tactics.<\/p>\n Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said his office opened an investigation after receiving multiple consumer complaints.<\/p>\n “The patients who were misled and deceived by Alpha Dental often ended up with large loans and bills they could not afford,” Sunday said in a statement. “Alpha Dental was fully aware that Medicare does not cover dental procedures and concealed that information while convincing patients to purchase costly procedures and services. Those predatory tactics end here \u2013 and Alpha Dental, under this settlement, will make patients whole.”<\/p>\n Per the terms of a settlement<\/a>, reached Thursday, the clinic must pay Sunday’s office $517,016.94 in restitution to be distributed among impacted patients. Alpha Dental Excellence must also pay\u00a0$232,983 in civil penalties and $250,000 in investigation fees.<\/p>\n The settlement also bars the company from preparing financing applications for patients or misrepresenting its participation in Medicare and other health insurance plans. Alpha Dental Excellence must also verify health insurance coverage prior to service and inform patients explicitly what their estimated financial obligations will be.<\/p>\n Follow Kristin & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @kristin_hunt
\n<\/a> | @thePhillyVoice<\/a>
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice<\/a>
Have a news tip<\/a>? Let us know.<\/p>\n