The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office has filed a lawsuit in the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas against a large Middletown Township dental group.
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Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry announced Thursday that her office was filing the civil lawsuit against Infinity Dental Management LLC, also known as Alpha Dental Excellence, which is located off Middletown Boulevard. It also named dental group owner/operator Dr. Arpan Patel and employee Cheryl Snyder in the filing.
The state’s top law enforcement office alleged in the lawsuit that the dental group was involved in a scheme to mislead senior patients about loan procedures and their rights.
“The defendants misled patients into believing Medicare, or private insurance, would cover dental services — when, in fact, those services were not covered. The defendants also failed to notify patients of consumer rights and protections while charging fees for third-party loans,” according to the attorney general’s office.
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The office added in a statement: “The alleged practices are in violation of the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law. The lawsuit seeks to ban Alpha and affiliates from offering dental and credit services in Pennsylvania, as well as payment of consumer restitution and civil penalties.”
The lawsuit states the defendants “received significant revenue from patients via third-party financing,” and the business assisted them preparing and submitting financing applications.
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According to the attorney general’s office, the dental group assisted patients in applying for approximately 5,329 loans, totaling at least $10,195,487, and collected more than $500,000 in fees.
“Some patients had loan applications submitted on their behalf without their knowledge or consent. Others tried to cancel their loans immediately and were assessed exorbitant cancellation fees charged by Alpha Dental,” the attorney general’s office said.
In the lawsuit, it was noted by authorities that the dental group provided them with “incomplete” data on loans and “many more patients” were likely part of the credit process.
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Authorities have also alleged that Alpha Dental “misrepresented” the price of services, adding one patient paid $15,000 for dentures and then was told they could only get them if they paid an additional $4,176.
The alleged practices were in violation of the state’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law.
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The attorney general’s office is seeking to ban Alpha Dental and affiliates from offering dental and credit services in the state.
In the lawsuit, the commonwealth asks a Bucks County judge to determine a restitution amount for all consumers affected by Alpha Dental. It also asks the court to impose a civil penalty of up to $1,000 for each violation of the Consumer Protection Law and up to $3,000 for each violation where the victim was 60 years old or older.
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“This business lured older Pennsylvanians into their office with free dinner events, lied to them about whether their insurance would cover their care, and then enticed them to take out loans without notifying them of the specific terms and conditions,” Henry said in a statement. “Patients who needed care suddenly found themselves saddled with tens of thousands of dollars of debt they could not afford. This lawsuit seeks to recover hundreds of thousands in ill-gotten gains as well as impose civil penalties to the full extent of the law. We are also asking anyone else who fell victim to this scheme to contact our office.”
Credit: PA Internet News Service
The Pennsylvania Department of State Prosecution Division worked with the attorney general’s office on the probe into the business.
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Officials said administrative charges were filed against Patel at the end of August over the allegations “patients were misled about Medicare covering their dental services at Alpha Dental and where records were not provided after a patient requested them.”
“The administrative case could result in the suspension, revocation, or restriction of Patel’s professional license to practice dentistry, as well as the imposition of civil penalties,” authorities said.
“The Department of State began investigating this licensee because of several complaints of unprofessional conduct, and I am proud of the joint efforts of the Department of State and the Attorney General’s Office,” Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt said.
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A request for comment was left with Alpha Dental for Patel and Snyder on Thursday evening. It was not immediately returned.
The attorney general’s office asks those who believe they or someone they know may have been a victim of Alpha Dental to file a complaint with the office’s Healthcare Section at www.attorneygeneral.gov, call 1-877-888-4877, or email healthcare@attorneygeneral.gov.
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