Source: RLS Media
Andrew Maron, who owned a string of dental practices and also practiced as an itinerant oral surgeon in in Monmouth, Passaic, Hudson, and Union counties, has been prohibited from practicing in New Jersey since the filing of multiple allegations of negligence, gross negligence and professional misconduct against him.
The New Jersey State Board of Dentistry determined that Maron’s treatment of patients — many of whom were low-income, elderly, or disabled — amounted to “hit and run dentistry” that reflected a “cavalier indifference to his patients’ well-being” and a “pattern of substantial deviations from the standard of care that existed unabated for years.”
According to findings in the case, Maron committed multiple acts of negligence and gross negligence and professional misconduct in his treatment of 17 patients between 2010 and 2015:
• Pulling natural teeth and replacing them with dental implants with little or no regard to the restorability of the natural tooth;
• Placing numerous implants that failed, some dangerously so by migrating into the sinus, or by patients swallowing them;
• Performing, planning and undertaking treatment without regard to a patient’s ability to pay for the treatment;
• Discussing treatment with patients who were already in the chair receiving anesthesia;
• Pressuring elderly patients into having implants placed without pre-operative diagnosis, review, or informed consent;
• Pressuring Medicaid patients into taking CareCredit loans which exceeded their ability to repay;
• Ignoring or failing to take patients’ medical histories;
• Submitting inaccurate and inflated billing for treatment; and
• Failing to ensure that the dentists in his employ practiced with patients’ health, safety, and welfare in mind.
Administrative Law Judge Susan M. Scarola agreed with the State’s argument that Maron should be ordered to pay a substantial penalty for each unlawful act he committed; to reimburse patients for deficient treatment, and to reimburse the State for fees and costs associated with investigating and prosecuting the case.
The Board ordered Maron to pay civil penalties totaling $138,500; restitution totaling $75,041.22 to 15 patients; and aggregate costs and attorneys’ fees of $303,856.22.
Patients who believe that they have been treated by a licensed health care professional in an inappropriate manner can file an online complaint with the state Division of Consumer Affairs by visiting its website or by calling 1-800-242-5846 (toll free within New Jersey) or 973-504- 6200.