AG Sues Framingham Orthodontist Claiming MassHealth Fraud

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Attorney General Maura Healey is suing The Braces Place chain, saying the owners fraudulently billed MassHealth for needlessly long medical treatments and unnecessary medical devices.

In a statement, Healey said The Braces Place owner Dr. Mouhab Rizkallah has reaped millions through deceptive billing practices since 2013. According to Healey, The Braces Place would unnecessarily extend the amount of time patients needed to wear braces.

"To do this, [Rizkallah] often put braces only on a child’s top teeth at the beginning of comprehensive orthodontic treatment, even when there was no medical justification for delaying putting braces on the bottom teeth," Healey said. "This significantly extended the patient’s treatment time and increased the amount of money collected from MassHealth."

The chain would also bill Medicaid between $85 and $95 for sports mouth guards with a retail value of about $10, according to Healey. The Braces Place billed the state about $1 million for mouth guards.

The Braces Place has six locations across the state, including along Concord Street in the downtown Framingham area. Healey's office is seeking civil damages under the state False Claims Act and the state Medicaid False Claims Act.