by Kristina Fiore, Director of Enterprise & Investigative Reporting, MedPage Today November 11, 2020
Ob/Gyn Convicted in Unnecessary Hysterectomy Scheme
A federal jury convicted Virginia ob/gyn Javaid Perwaiz, MD, on 52 counts related to a scheme to perform unnecessary hysterectomies and other surgeries in order to defraud private and government payers out of millions of dollars, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced.
In many cases, Perwaiz would lie to his patients that the surgeries were necessary to prevent cancer, according to DOJ. Evidence presented at the trial also showed that Perwaiz falsified records so he could induce labor and ensure that he would be reimbursed for the deliveries. Perwaiz also violated the 30-day waiting period required by Medicaid for elective sterilizations by submitting backdated forms, and billed for diagnostics that he didn’t actually perform, DOJ said.
Witnesses at the trial included dozens of former patients, some of whom testified about ongoing complications they have due to their unnecessary surgeries, according to the Washington Post.
The 70-year-old Perwaiz, who has practiced in Hampton Roads, Virginia, since the 1980s, was arrested last fall after FBI agents discovered the unnecessary procedures. He has a troubled history that includes conviction for felony tax fraud in the 1990s, as well as earlier accusations of performing unnecessary hysterectomies that ended with his firing from a hospital for “bad note-taking,” the Post said.
Perwaiz faces a maximum penalty of 465 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 31, 2021.