HARRISBURG, Pa. -- A Pennsylvania dentist has been charged with fraud for allegedly sending patients into a bathroom to brush their own teeth and then billing Medicaid for expensive fluoride treatments.
State Attorney General Ernie Preate said Thursday that Dr. Daniel Titzel, 63, of Altoona, faces several counts of Medicaid fraud, insurance fraud and violation of the state Dental Law.
The charges allege that, between 1988 and 1992, Titzel filed hundreds of Medicaid claims for services he didn't provide. In the alleged brushing scam, Titzel would hand Medicaid patients a toothbrush and some fluoride toothpaste and ask them to go into a bathroom and brush their own teeth. He then billed Medicaid for 'a cleaning and topical treatment with fluoride.'
Titzel is also accused of routinely billing for fillings he never provided, and of billing for teeth cleanings that were done by a dental assistant who was not licensed to do the work.
