Dentist to pay more than $500,000 after allegedly filing false Medicaid claims

A dentist has agreed to pay more than $500,000 to the state of Oklahoma after he allegedly submitted false claims to SoonerCare, the state’s Medicaid program.

Rocky Cullens, D.D.S. — operator of Stonewood Hills Oral Maxillofacial Surgery Inc. in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma — allegedly double-billed and upcoded patient encounters, billed excess units of general anesthesia and billed for tobacco cessation counseling for nontobacco users between Jan. 1, 2021, and July 31, 2024, according to a news release from the Office of the Oklahoma Attorney General.

Dr. Cullens will pay $532,055.76 to resolve these allegations of false claims that violate the Oklahoma Medicaid False Claims Act. The payment includes $354,703.84 he received for claims and $177,351.92 in penalties.

SoonerCare provides health care services and products to low-income individuals, including children, seniors and people with disabilities. The investigation began after a referral from the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, which administers SoonerCare.