An Indian-origin doctor in Georgia has agreed to pay $15 million to settle medical fraud allegations against him.
Indian-born urologist Jitesh Patel will have to pay $14 million to settle allegations that he defrauded healthcare programs by performing unnecessary procedures on his patients.
An employee at Battelle Advanced Urology Hospital in Georgia filed a whistleblower complaint that they were performing procedures and tests that were not medically necessary. Another former employee also turned whistleblower and asserted that Advanced Urology was “designed to maximize revenue for Dr. Patel and others by performing medically unnecessary procedures and tests,” according to court documents. They implanted some devices in patients without determining whether the patients would benefit from the device; They performed unnecessary tests that included putting the patient under anesthesia; They also ordered thousands of unnecessary ultrasound tests and required every new patient to undergo one test, which is rarely used in urology practices.
They also paid bills for some procedures they never performed, allegations said.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the Department of Health and Human Services, and several other departments investigated the case. “Doctors commit fraud when they ask to get paid for medically unnecessary procedures or bill for services they never provided,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Our office will not tolerate patient abuse or misuse of government funds, and we will enforce the False Claims Act to hold wrongdoers accountable.”
“Under the False Claims Act, citizens may sue false claims on behalf of the United States and share in any recovery the government receives. The Relators will collectively receive $2,940,000 from the settlement. The claims resolved through the settlement are allegations only, and no liability has been established.The lawsuits did not reveal whether the unnecessary procedures led to any health problems for patients. Dr. Patel is considered a pioneer in this field and has received many awards like Best Doctor in Atlanta, Top 40 Doctors, Under 40, etc. He studied medicine at Temple University School of Medicine.
