Fairfield Dentist Sued By State For Defrauding Medicaid Program Of $900K: Attorney General

FAIRFIELD, CT — A Fairfield dentist is accused of falsely billing the state’s Medicaid program more than $900,000 for dental services that were never performed, according to a lawsuit filed by the state. Attorney General George Jepsen and state Department of Social Services (DSS) Commissioner Roderick L. Bremby announced Thursday that the state has filed a False Claims Act lawsuit against Dr. Aram Agadjanian on allegations that he “engaged in a long-term, pervasive scheme to defraud the state's Medicaid program.”

Agadjanian, who is also known as Aram Yuri Agadzanov, is a Fairfield resident and a licensed dentist who was enrolled as a dental provider in the Connecticut Medical Assistance Program (CMAP) – the state's Medicaid program – from May 2009 to May 2015. (To sign up for Fairfield breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

Agadjanian primarily saw indigent and elderly Medicaid patients who were residents at assisted living facilities in Connecticut, according to officials. The state's complaint alleges that, from April 2014 to April 2015, Agadjanian billed the state's Medicaid program more than $900,000 for dental services allegedly provided to CMAP recipients, but those services were never actually performed.

The state alleges that Agadjanian billed for dental services that included multi-surface tooth restorations, repairs to dentures and sets of dentures that were never provided to his patients. According to officials, Agadjanian is also accused of submitting claims for conflicting dental procedures that could not have been provided to his patients, such as services performed on partial dentures for the same teeth that received cavity fillings.

Like Fairfield Patch on Facebook below:

"The Connecticut False Claims Act gives my office the authority to seek damages and other relief from medical providers and others who defraud the Medicaid program by submitting false claims for reimbursements," Jepsen said in a press release. “This dentist's conduct is particularly egregious, as he preyed on some of our most vulnerable Medicaid population. Through our partnership with the DSS, the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and other law enforcement agencies, we will work to hold accountable those who set out to defraud state and federal healthcare programs. This lawsuit will seek to recover damages incurred by the state's Medicaid program and to deter others from defrauding taxpayer funded programs in the future."

DSS, the administering agency for CMAP, has terminated Agadjanian's provider agreement.

"This reprehensible situation is the polar opposite of the high-quality dental care provided through Connecticut Medicaid overall," Bremby said. "Taking strong action against an outlier like this is necessary to protect patients and taxpayers alike, and I join Attorney General Jepsen in commending our state and federal partners involved in anti-fraud enforcement. Anyone who victimizes our Medicaid members and violates the public trust needs to be held accountable."

Image via Shutterstock