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Surgeon Pulled Teeth for Profit

Pulling more teeth than medically necessary from patients mouths, just to make money. That’s the allegation against a local oral surgeon whom News 3 Investigators first exposed a year ago. The state started investigating after her story, and now she tells us what the state says needs to be done to protect patients.

The State Board of Dental Examiners wanted to suspend Dr. Jay Selznick’s license, put him on three years probation, prevent him from treating medicaid patients for nine months and force him to reimburse some patients. All because they believe he’s operating below the standard of care and falsifying records to cover his tracks.

“I’m glad the truth finally came out and justice will prevail. He will get what he’s got coming. He thinks that he’s above the law, and he’s not.”

We first met Medicaid patient Karyn Hopkins a little over a year ago. She went to see Dr. Jay Selznick to have one molar pulled, but when she woke from anesthesia, four teeth were gone. She also says Selznick altered the consent form she’d signed, all so he could bill Medicaid and taxpayers for extra money, at the expense of her health.

“I have never, ever done anything like that.”

But the State Board of Dental Examiners believes he has. In this formal complaint, the state alleges that Selznick did the same thing to five other patients. One came in to stop bleeding, but Selznick took out thirteen teeth without authorization. Another wanted one tooth extracted and Selznick took 5. A third came in to have her wisdom teeth pulled and he took six instead of four without her consent, and another came in for one symptomatic tooth and he pulled fifteen, all the rest of her teeth.

The board also says Selznick falsified the patients consent forms by adding in information about procedures after the patients had signed off.

“They must be just in absolute horror that somebody in a dental profession, a professional person that you put your faith and your trust into, can take advantage of a person like that. For what reason other than greed?”

Selznick says the allegations are baseless, and the greed in this case is not his.

“There are only a few that have made these allegations. The reason why they’re doing this is for nothing more than to try and hit the jackpot.”

He says the board is wrong in accusing him, but right in the most important way.

“I, just like the board, want nothing more than the patients’ rights and positions to be understood completely.”

Selznick claims the board is making decisions based on false information and an inadequate investigative process. He looks forward to proving his case at a formal board hearing scheduled for November.

The state board isn’t the only agency taking a hard look at Dr. Selznick. There’s also a federal investigation underway for alleged Hippa violations by Selznick in releasing Karyn Hopkins’ medical records without her consent to the now-defunct Las Vegas Mercury newspaper.

The source of this article is hxxp://www.kvbc.com/Global/story.asp?S=3948234