In a recent settlement that heaves the weight of accountability onto the health care industry in Oklahoma, Broken Arrow dentist Rocky Cullens is coughing up over half a million dollars after an investigation into allegations of Medicaid fraud, as per a statement released by the Oklahoma Attorney General's office. Operator of Stonewood Hills Oral Maxillofacial Surgery Inc., Cullens found himself in hot legal waters for allegedly pumping up bills sent to SoonerCare from January 2021 through July 2024 with a host of deceptive practices including double billing and upcoding patient encounters.
SoonerCare, Oklahoma's Medicaid program, serves as a lifeline for folks teetering on the edge of poverty—kids, the elderly, and those wrestling with disabilities—and Cullens’ actions undermined the very trust upon which such essential services rest. The allegations, which emerged following a referral by the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, pointed to Cullens billing for more general anesthesia than necessary and for tobacco cessation counseling to non-smokers, causing taxpayers to foot the bill for services not in fact rendered, such complexities in the case arose from the web of claims, including some that purported to offer counsel to people who’d not once tasted tobacco.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond minced no words over the matter, saying, "I take seriously allegations of false claims and attempts to defraud taxpayers," asserting a firm stance against such fraudulent acts in a press release on the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office website. To settle the allegations, which remain officially unproven since there's been no formal determination of liability, Cullens will hand over $532,055.76—a punch that packs not only reimbursement for the falsely acquired $354,703.84 but also a harsh $177,351.92 in penalties.
Assistant Attorney General Jamie Bloyd, alongside Agent Lauren Jewell and Nurse Analyst Laurie Hudson of the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, spearheaded the investigation and subsequent resolution, ensuring another chapter in their mission to uphold the integrity of Oklahoma’s Medicaid system is closed while yet more await their vigilance. The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, fortified by a mix of federal and state funding with a hefty federal grant totaling $4,527,129.64 alongside a substantial state contribution for fiscal year 2025, represents a bulwark against healthcare billing deception, continually seeking to keep the system devoid of such fraudulence.
