A dentist in Connecticut who previously pleaded guilty in a more than $2 million Medicaid kickback scheme has paid more than $600,000 to settle U.S. and state False Claims Act allegations, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
Dr. Lakshmi Bethi, 48, and her businesses New Haven Dental, New Haven Family Dental, and New Haven Family Dental Group agreed to pay $608,296 to the U.S. and Connecticut to resolve the allegations, according to a press release dated January 7 from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut.
Bethi and her businesses were enrolled as dental providers in the Connecticut Medical Assistance Program (CTMAP), which includes the state's Medicaid program, allegedly violated their provider agreements and the U.S. Anti-Kickback Statute, the DOJ alleges. They submitted claims to the program for dental services rendered to Medicaid patients referred to the businesses by a third-party patient recruiting company, according to the release.
Bethi and her practices reportedly paid a recruiter $110 for each Medicaid patient referred to them whenever the patient received services beyond routine preventive care, like dental cleanings and exams, and submitted claims for dental services rendered to those patients. The CTMAP provider agreement prohibits per-patient compensation for individuals referred to providers.
In a related case, Bethi, of South Windsor, CT, pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to violate the U.S. Anti-Kickback Statute. She reportedly admitted to conspiring with individuals to recruit Medicaid patients to receive dental services from her in exchange for kickbacks, according to the release.
Some of the kickbacks that recruiters received were purportedly passed on to patients as incentives to attend dental appointments with Bethi. Once these patients went to their appointments with Bethi, the dentist billed Medicaid for the services.
Between 2016 and 2023, Bethi allegedly paid the recruiters more than $360,000 in kickbacks. Connecticut's Medicaid program reimbursed Bethi about $2.2 million for services rendered to the patients recruited via kickbacks. In December, Bethi was sentenced to two years of probation and was ordered to forfeit $500,000.
