Dentists Stanislav Gintautas and Tatiana Agababaeva and three Family Dentistry practices settled for $1.7 million for paying a third-party patient recruiting company $115 per referred Connecticut Medicaid patient who received services beyond routine preventive care.

Family Dentistry CT (Gintautas / Agababaeva) — $1.7M Patient Recruiting Kickback Settlement

Outcome: Settled for $1.7 million for paying a third-party patient recruiting company $115 per Connecticut Medicaid patient referred to the Family Dentistry practices for services beyond routine preventive care from February 2016 through August 2018.

Stanislav Gintautas, DDS and Tatiana Agababaeva, DDS operated three Connecticut Medicaid dental practices under the Family Dentistry brand: Family Dentistry of Bridgeport PC, Family Dentistry of Hartford PLLC, and Family Dentistry of Stamford, PC. They violated their Connecticut Medical Assistance Program (CTMAP) provider agreements and the federal Anti-Kickback Statute by entering into a financial arrangement with a third-party patient recruiting company.

The arrangement paid the recruiter $115 for each Connecticut Medicaid patient referred to the practices whenever the patient received dental services beyond routine preventive care (cleanings and exams). This per-referral fee created a direct financial incentive for the recruiter to steer Medicaid patients to the Family Dentistry locations regardless of patient preference or dental need, and tainted all resulting Medicaid claims as kickback-induced.

The case was part of a broader Connecticut-focused investigation involving the FBI, HHS-OIG, Connecticut AG's Office, and Connecticut DSS into health care providers submitting kickback-tainted claims to CTMAP. The $1.7 million settlement was announced in 2024.

Primary Source: Connecticut Dentists Pay $1.7 million to Settle False Claims Allegations