ReachOut Healthcare America

[8] Chris Alltucker of The Arizona Republic said that critics argued that the Big Smiles' business model is designed to collect as much money from Medicaid as possible on behalf of dentists performing numerous, and sometimes unnecessary procedures.

[5] ReachOut Healthcare America of Phoenix says it performs a valuable service, providing access to dental care for underserved children.

[10] Michael Howell and Daniel Goldsmith, the founders, established ReachOut in 1997 as a company that coordinated dental services to nursing home patients in Michigan.

The company had also coordinated services to foster programs, group homes, homeless shelters, and mental health facilities by late 2003.

Ken Alltucker of the Arizona Republic said that several parents complained that ReachOut had performed significant dental procedures such as fillings and crowns without properly notifying the parents, but that "the driving force behind the decision was concern that students did not get proper emergency or after-hours care because ReachOut dentists visited just twice a year.

"[5] Amanda Fulkerson, a district spokesperson, said that many children treated by ReachOut had suffered from pain after the procedures, and many school nurses complained about the scenarios.

[5] In the two years until August 2012, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) paid ReachOut's affiliated dental practice $12.5 million.

[12] In July 2013 Chuck Grassley and Max Baucus of the U.S. Senate released a report on corporate dental care; it discusses allegations against ReachOut Healthcare America and states that "those practices were not necessarily widespread.

"[13] It concluded that "The reported problems of unnecessary procedures, lack of parental consent and patient abuse appear to be the result of ReachOut having management agreements with several unscrupulous dentists.