Texas Dentists for Medicaid Reform was originally formed to promote due process rights for Medicaid dentists because of allegations started in 2011 of large-scale Medicaid fraud in the orthodontic billings that affected many, many dentists. These allegations, now debunked, were used to hurt the reputations of many providers as well as create financial hardship and bankruptcy.
TDMR promoted the need for due process rights for providers which resulted in gains with SB 1803 and SB 207 in 2012 and the reform of the Health and Human Rights Commission Office of Inspector General in 2015. Our fight for these rights is documented chronologically in the articles on this website.
It goes without saying that TDMR stands against fraud, waste or abuse within the Medicaid system and will report any we find. But due process is necessary for any provider so accused. It is a right guaranteed by the Constitution. This is forgotten in the blaze of media attention and its lack hurts the reputation of providers and the dental profession at large.
Today, we are concerned with researching and exposing problems that dental providers have with Medicaid such as dental homes, credentialing and billing problems experienced with dental managed care organizations, the unfairness of the Texas Medicaid Fraud Prevention Act and other problems.
Our purposes are as follows:
- Provide advocacy for dental Medicaid providers and work with legislatures and health professional organizations such as TMA and TDA to bring forward legislation to balance the playing field for all Medicaid providers.
- Bring providers’ stories to the public.
- Take on a watchdog role to expose injustice within Medicaid.
- Provide news and updates about Medicaid reform.