U.S. Files Suit Against Georgia Physician and Medical Center for Healthcare Fraud, Endangering Lives

Written by Jaimie Oh | July 28, 2010

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The United States has filed a complaint under the False Claims Act against a Georgia physician and medical center for allegedly submitting false or fraudulent claims to healthcare programs, such as Medicare, according to a news release by the Department of Justice.

The complaint states that operative procedures performed by Najam Azmat, MD, at Satilla Regional Medical Center were not reasonable and necessary, were incompatible with standards of acceptable medical practice and were of no medical value.

Dr. Azmat, a general surgeon by training, was allegedly recruited by Satilla, where he allegedly performed endovascular procedures, highly specialized operative procedures that require formal training, in Satilla's Heart Center catheterization lab. The DOJ claims Dr. Azmat is not trained or qualified to perform such procedures, had never performed such procedures before and did not have privileges at Satilla to perform them. The complaint also states there was no formal supervision of Dr. Azmat's procedures.

The U.S. complaint against the hospital further alleges that the nursing staff voiced concerns to Satilla's management, but the hospital did not take any action for at least five months. During that time, patients were seriously injured and one patient died from hemorrhagic shock after an endovascular procedure performed by Dr. Azmat.

The lawsuit was originally filed by Lana Rogers, a nurse who formerly worked at Satilla's Heart Center. The United States intervened in April and filed its own complaint. Under the False Claims Act, the government may recover up to three times the amount of its losses, including civil penalties, based on the number of false claims filed.

Read the Department of Justice's news release on the federal lawsuit against Dr. Najam Azmat and Satilla Regional Medical Center.

Read more coverage on healthcare fraud in Georgia:

- Georgia's Augusta Medical Systems Charged with Submitting False Claims to Medicare

- Georgia Radiologist Arraigned on Fraud Charges

- Two Georgia Chiropractors Arraigned for Healthcare Fraud

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