Dr. Linda Altenhoff is no longer with the Inspector General’s office as Chief Dental Officer. In August, she moved over to MCNA and is now Associate Dental Director for MCNA Texas and works out of San Antonio.
Named IG Chief Dental Officer in 2013
Altenhoff was named IG Chief Dental Officer back in September 2013 when the post was created, along with a Chief Medical Officer position, under SB 1803. As the Texas Tribune described the hiring:
“After a couple judicial setbacks, the Health and Human Services Commission’s Office of Inspector General has stepped up its game by bringing in the big guns at the attorney general’s office and private counsel. The OIG also hired a chief dental director, Dr. Linda Altenhoff, and is making sure that multiple dental experts review cases before they’re brought to a judge. The outcome of those efforts will be apparent when an administrative judge rules on a case testing the state’s evidence for withholding payments to Antoine Dental Center in Houston, which was argued in May.”
Prior to being named the Chief Dental Officer, Altenhoff was the State Dental Director for the Department of State Health Services.
Told dentists to “assume” prior authorizations are done by a board certified orthodontist
In that capacity, she was involved in the Medicaid orthodontic program and told orthodontic and dental providers at a stakeholder’s meeting in 2009 that they should expect that all their prior authorization requests were being reviewed by a “board certified orthodontist.” Dental providers had demanded to know in 2007 who was approving the requests.
Of course, her response wasn’t even close to the truth.
Prior authorizations actually approved by high school graduates with no dental training
Xerox prior authorization “dental specialists” were basically high school graduates with no dental training whatsoever who worked from home and simply made sure the requests were complete and the HLD scoring sheet was marked 26 or more. An application was processed and approved in less than five minutes usually with “specialists” approving 100s a day.
What Altenhoff personally knew about the Xerox process when she made that statement which misled dental stakeholders is not known at this time.
HHSC did know though in 2009 as has been shown in court documents.
Chief Dental Officer position open
If you would like to apply for the Chief Dental Officer position you can. It is open and you can apply online here.
She has joined like company with the ex-Texas Gov.; ex-HHSC exec commish and Medicaid dentist from South Texas P. Hunke all now off the tax-payers payroll and now on the MCNA payroll.
So I hate to be a stickler but MCNA is a Government contracted program. So they get a lump sum of money from the government at the begining of the year that covers the cost for the benefits and a fee for their services. Thus paying Mr. Perry, Dr. Hunke, and Dr. Altenhoff with taxpayer money.