- Dr Jitesh Patel agreed to pay $14 million to settle US federal fraud allegations.
- Whistleblowers accused him of performing unnecessary procedures and fraudulent billing.
- Authorities said the settlement resolves violations of federal and Georgia claims
US-based Indian-origin doctor Jitesh Patel was allegedly charged in a fraud case involving unnecessary medical procedures on patients in his Atlanta-based urology facility, Advanced Urology, as per India Today.
Patel has agreed to pay $14 million to settle federal allegations, as there has been no formal determination of liability, and Patel maintains that neither he nor his practice engaged in any wrongdoing. Whistleblowers Lorraine Perumal-Szramel, a former employee of Advanced Urology, and Himanshu Aggarwal, a former physician at the facility, alleged that Patel performed unnecessary invasive treatments.
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They further accused him of manipulating data to submit fraudulent claims to Medicaid, the US public insurance program. The US Department of Justice announced that Atlanta-based Advanced Urology and Patel have agreed to pay the fine to resolve allegations that they violated both the federal False Claims Act and the Georgia False Medicaid Claims Act.
The whistleblowers contended that Advanced Urology's organisational structure was strategically engineered to maximise revenue for Patel and his associates through a series of systematic malpractices, as per India Today. Some misconduct includes inserting, via operation, sacral nerve stimulator devices permanently in patients without consideration of the devices' need. Performed numerous unwarranted cystoscopies and retrograde pyelograms, procedures involving anaesthesia and insertion of a scope through the urethra and into the bladder.
Patel conducted electromyography tests on almost every new patient, against standard urology practices-tests involving transmitting electrical signals through an electrode attached to the patient's genitalia. Also ran thousands of unjustified ultrasound tests, including duplex and retroperitoneal ultrasounds. Federal authorities claim the practice charged significantly higher rates by billing for Direct Visual Internal Urethrotomy surgeries when only simple dilations were conducted. DVIU involves cutting tissue inside the urethra with a surgical blade, unlike the simpler dilation.
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American local outlet FOX 5 Atlanta, cited by India Today, reported that Patel billed for non-existent surgeries and engaged in "upcoding" of less complicated procedures to more expensive ones. An official press release confirms that the $14 million settlement resolves two separate federal lawsuits. As a result of this recovery, the two whistleblowers will collectively receive a $2.94 million award for their role in bringing the allegations to light.
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