A dentist in Ohio agreed to pay $500,000 to settle allegations of Medicaid fraud filed against him, according to a press release dated June 23 from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio.
Dr. Stanley Meckler, 72, agreed to pay the sum for allegedly improperly billing the Ohio Department of Medicaid for services that were provided by an employee who was not eligible to participate in the U.S. program. His colleague at the time, Dr. John Ball, provided the services but was ineligible to participate due to defaulting on a U.S. loan, according to the press release.
To circumvent Ball's ineligibility, Meckler allegedly named himself as the service provider. This discovery came to light after Meckler sold his practice, Family Dental Care in Parma, OH, in 2021. At that time, the new owner discovered that Ball wasn’t an eligible Medicaid provider, which triggered an investigation by state and U.S. authorities, according to the press release.
