Acting U.S. Attorney Richard W. Murphy announced Tuesday, May 2, that Joseph W. Griffin, D.M.D. has entered into a civil settlement agreement with the U.S. and the state of Maine in which he will pay $90,000 to resolve allegations that he submitted false claims to MaineCare, Maine’s Medicaid program, from July 1, 2014 through July 1, 2015.
MaineCare is primarily funded by the federal government, which pays about two-thirds of all claims submitted to MaineCare.
According to a civil complaint, Griffin, who practiced at 60 Main St. in Damariscotta, was alleged to have violated the state and federal False Claims Acts by submitting claims totaling $164,972 to MaineCare for dental services that were not rendered, were medically unnecessary, or were so inadequately documented in the patient’s medical record as to be unreviewable, all in violation of the requirements of the MaineCare program. The settlement amount reflected Griffin’s inability to repay the full amount improperly billed and his retirement from his dentistry practice.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General and the Maine Attorney General’s Office’s Health Care Crimes Unit.
