Dentists Win at the Supreme Court, But Conduent Gets Tossed a Bone
Originally at news.google.com
Summary & scoring by The Bell Brief (Dr. Jennifer Bell) using the Drill-Down Protocol (Drill-Down Score) — not the original publisher.
Why it matters for dental
Texas Supreme Court ruled that Conduent, a Medicaid contractor, cannot claim sovereign immunity to block dentists' lawsuit, sending the case back to trial court. Practice owners and orthodontists who faced repayment demands after state-approved treatments now have a clearer path to seek damages from the contractor.
Key points
- Texas Supreme Court held that Conduent is a government contractor, not a governmental unit, so it cannot bring an immediate appeal under statutes granting that right to governmental entities.
- The Court vacated the 2024 Third Court of Appeals opinion and returned the M&M Orthodontics and Drs. Scott and Diana Malone lawsuit to the trial court.
- The dentists allege Conduent approved orthodontic prior authorizations without verifying Medicaid medical-necessity rules, leading to later fraud claims and repayment demands against the providers.
- The Supreme Court did not decide whether Conduent can ultimately claim sovereign immunity; it only ruled the company is not entitled to an immediate appeal on that issue.
Who should care
Read the original on Media: DSOs & private equity
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