A dentist in Connecticut has agreed to pay $150,000 to resolve allegations that she paid fees to a patient recruiting firm in violation of state and U.S. laws, according to the Office of the Attorney General for Connecticut.
Dr. Nazneen Jaffri, who worked at a dental practice in Norwalk, CT, agreed to pay the settlement to resolve allegations that she violated the state and U.S. False Claims acts, according to a press release from the state's attorney general dated August 22.
Between January 2019 and April 2021, Jaffri was enrolled in the Connecticut Medical Assistance Program (CMAP), which includes the state Medicaid program. During that period, Jaffri allegedly paid a third-party patient recruiting company $116 for every Medicaid patient who was referred to her and received dental services beyond routine preventive dental care, like cleanings.
Engaging in such a referral relationship violates the U.S. Anti-Kickback Statute, as well as the CMAP provider agreement, according to the press release.
“Paying kickbacks for patient recruitment is illegal,” Attorney General William Tong said in the press release. “Dentists participating in Connecticut’s public healthcare programs are responsible for knowing the law. This is the fifth settlement arising from ongoing joint investigations, and we will continue to work closely with our state and federal partners to aggressively protect the integrity of our public healthcare programs.”
