Attorney General's News Release

November 13, 2008

Joplin dentist faces 13 felony counts of Medicaid fraud filed jointly by Dankelson, Nixon

Joplin, Mo. - A Joplin dentist was arrested today and charged with 13 felony counts of Medicaid fraud. Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney Dean Dankelson and Attorney General Jay Nixon jointly filed the charges against Dr. Samuel A. Miller. Miller (DOB - 11/22/64), a general practice dentist, is charged with submitting false reimbursement claims to Medicaid for services not performed on several pediatric patients.

A probable cause statement from an investigator in Nixon's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit was filed with the criminal complaint against Miller. The probable cause statement alleges Miller billed Medicaid for procedures such as x-rays, root canals, resin-based composite restorations and amalgam restorations that he did not perform.

In addition, the probable cause statement alleges that Miller submitted false claims to Medicaid by "upcoding" services for reimbursement by submitting claims for more complicated procedures than actually performed, and by "unbundling" claims by submitting claims to Medicaid for individual parts of a multi-step procedure which should be submitted properly as one procedure. The allegations in the charges cover a period from November 2005 to June 2006.

Miller is charged with 13 counts of making or causing to be made a false statement to receive a health care payment, a class D felony punishable upon conviction by up to four years in prison and a $5,000 fine on each count. In addition, those convicted of violating this law can be ordered to make restitution to the state equal to the reimbursement unlawfully paid, and to pay the state's costs of bringing the prosecution.

As in all criminal cases, the charges against the defendant are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until or unless proven guilty in a court of law.