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I-Team: 15,000 Dental Records Locked Up
I-Team: 15,000 Dental Records Locked Up - Thursday, March 20, 2008 at 4:53PM EST
Reported by: Jeff Chirico
Thursday, Mar 20, 2008 @04:53pm EST
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY -- It's a convoluted story that leaves possibly 15,000 patients without their records and former employees without their paychecks. Consumer and I-Team reporter Jeff Chirico investigating this case.
Dr. Irwin Ufberg has been seeing patients for decades at his practice in Wilkes-Barre. Most of them are low income and on medical assistance. Folks came from as far away as Williamsport, Stroudsburg and Reading for dental care. Now his death and that of his wife three weeks ago, leaves patients and former workers fighting for what is theirs. A note on the locked doors of Keystone Dental Center on West Northampton Street leave customers confused.
Tray Smith/Kingston "I'm seeing on the door. I don't know what's going on. Seems like they just skipped town." April Pechal found the same note two weeks ago. It referred her to another dental office but they wouldn't remove her tooth without her files and x-rays. “I wasn't getting anywhere. I was getting the run around and so that's why I came to WBRE."
Former employees tell the I-Team thousands of records are locked upstairs. Irwin Ufberg practiced in Wilkes-Barre for years until he died last November. After Irwin died, his widow Marcy took over. She hired a man named David Mahon to run this office. Employees say that was the beginning of the end.
Terri Broody/former employee
"It was hostile, hostile work environment." Dental hygienist Terri Broody and other staff tell the I-Team Mahon ridiculed them, fired five people and threatened others. "We used to eat lunch together. We ran in a corner and hid. We were afraid to say anything."
Ultimately Terri and others left. But she and at least 7 others never received their last paychecks --or w2 forms. "We're going through the labor board to get our money and they said it could take years."
But here's what led to the lockdown of the files. Three weeks ago, Marcy -Irwin's widow, died. Police near Philadelphia are still investigating her death. Broody says “it was a shock.” When asked if she thought it was suspicious, she replied “you would have to think. 62. Healthy woman."
The doors to Keystone haven't been opened since which leaves April nervous--because she needs to have her tooth removed before a major knee surgery next week. After we got involved, a Forty Fort dentist has agreed to pull April's tooth for free. April says "that'll make me happy. That's all I want is to get this tooth our before this surgery."
We spoke with the attorney handling Irwin's estate. She tells me, she hopes to have a hearing before a Montgomery County judge as early as next week to open these doors and allow patients to get their files. It's going through Montgomery County because that's where the Ufberg's lived.
I left two messages on David Mahon's cell phone --he didn't return my calls. | | |
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