A Southington dentist will pay $55,000 to settle civil healthcare fraud allegations involving the filing of false and fraudulent claims for payments from Connecticut’s Medicaid program, Attorney General George Jepsen said.
The attorney general alleged that, while enrolled as a dental provider in the Connecticut Medical Assistance Program (CMAP), Dr. Thomas DeRienzo – who practices in the Plantsville section of Southington – engaged in a long-term scheme to submit claims to the state Department of Social Services (DSS) for dental services that were not provided to his CMAP patients. In particular, DeRienzo is alleged to have falsely charged DSS for resin-based composite fillings that, in fact, patients did not receive, according to a news release from Jepsen’s office.
Dr. DeRienzo has agreed to pay $55,000 to resolve the False Claims Act allegations. In addition, he has agreed to enter into a separate agreement with DSS to be permanently barred from participation as a dentist in the CMAP, Jepsen’s release said.
DeRienzo’s office was closed today, but he denied any wrongdoing in a Connecticut Health Investigative Team story Monday.
“I’m not guilty. I did nothing purposefully wrong,” he told C-HIT. “These children were well taken care of in my office. The settlement was made on my attorney’s advice.”
