Category: Angioplasty Abuse

Disability-Abuse Alive and Well in Eastern Kentucky.

disability-250I wrote earlier about how an economy and culture in Eastern Kentucky so dependent on disability payments might so easily overlook, and even accommodate widespread abuses within our medical and legal structures. The “angioplasty abuse” that I and others have been writing about these past months unfolded in that setting. Full-fledged “disability abuse” is again emerging into the sterilizing light of day. It seems all you have to do to find these things, is look for them.

A flurry of media reports began yesterday focusing on a U.S. Senate investigative report accusing specific doctors, lawyers, and even judges of conspiring to inappropriately award disability to hundreds and even thousands of people. The scam could not have been more out in the open– billboards advised people to step right up and take advantage.

Stephen Ohlemacher reported prominently for the Associated Press, but the story is making the rounds in many venues. The matter plays well politically to those who would seek to gut any-and-all governmental safety net programs. (I am not one of them!) I have not been able to secure a copy of the actual Senate report, perhaps due to governmental furloughs. If anyone can help me, I will follow-up with more specifics.

I know a little about disability.
In my hands-on medical career as a rheumatologist, I had much personal experience with disability programs. Some people shop for accommodating physicians who will “award” them with a declaration of disability in the same way some patients doctor-shop for prescription narcotics. Continue reading “Disability-Abuse Alive and Well in Eastern Kentucky.”

Alleged Angioplasty Abuse in Kentucky – Instant Replay.

paulus-heart-center Another shoe drops: New lawsuit in Ashland.

Just when I thought it was safe to write about something else, I learned about a new lawsuit against the King’s Daughters Medical Center, Comprehensive Heart & Vascular Associates, Inc., and Dr. Richard E. Paulus, M.D., all of Ashland KY. Of course, claims made in a legal action represent the views of only one party. Nonetheless, the complaint specifies issues essentially the same as those currently playing out at St. Joseph London in southeast Kentucky and are on their face inherently possible.

The case was filed in Boyd County Circuit Court on September 30, 2013 on behalf of a single plaintiff and his wife by the Poppe Law Firm of Louisville. This is the same firm handling numerous civil claims against St. Joseph London in Laurel County. The alleged circumstances and actual facts are disturbingly familiar. As stated in the complaint, the plaintiff is said to have undergone unnecessary angioplasty with the placement of a stent. The rate of angioplasty in the area surrounding King’s Daughters Medical Center is the highest in the state, and indeed one of the very highest in the nation. Following the purchase of the medical practices of two large cardiology groups, the number of angioplasties increased substantially. According to the complaint, following an investigation begun by the United States Department of Justice, the number of procedures dropped by 70%, remaining nonetheless the second highest for Kentucky hospitals. Continue reading “Alleged Angioplasty Abuse in Kentucky – Instant Replay.”

Kentucky Doctor Goes to Prison for Billing Fraud: Part 2.

The Sentencing of a Cardiologist.

For someone like myself, yesterday’s sentencing hearing in federal court was educational– even though many of my questions went unanswered. Had I not already known from earlier reporting of civil lawsuits against Dr. Sandesh Patil that he has been accused of performing hundreds of medically unnecessary cardiac angioplasties and indeed, pleaded guilty to falsifying medical records to collect payment from Medicare for at least one case, I would not have known why he was going to jail.

Because Dr. Patil pleaded guilty, the US attorney’s office did not have to present in court all of the evidence it and the FBI had collected. It did not have to call in medical experts to testify whether or not the procedures performed at St. Joseph London were medically necessary or not. This method of settling cases is apparently quite standard and is considered to be an efficient use of the courts time and public resources. I cannot quarrel with that general policy.

However, it appears that all the undisputed information collected by the extensive investigation is now sealed and not available to the public. This does trouble me! I previously offered my opinion that I believe the best interests of all involved; the patients, the public, St. Joseph London Hospital, KentuckyOne Health, Medicare, other health payers, and even Dr. Patil are best served by more complete disclosure and accountability. Sunshine disinfects. No one should have to continue to serve the public under a cloud. After all, reinforcing trust in the medical community was one of the stated goals of the sentencing proceeding. Continue reading “Kentucky Doctor Goes to Prison for Billing Fraud: Part 2.”

Kentucky Cardiologist Sentenced to 30 months Imprisonment for Fraudulent Billing.

frankfort-fed-courtAngioplasty Abuse Update

[Breaking News.]

Today in Federal District Court in Frankfort, KY, Dr. Sandesh Patil of London, KY was sentenced to 30 months in a federal facility near Beaumont, TX. He will begin serving on November 19, 2013. Dr. Patil had pleaded guilty to submitting an improper bill to the Medicare Program for a patient on whom he had performed cardiac angioplasty at St Joseph London Hospital. The sentence was at the lowest end of the 30 to 37 month range agreed upon in the plea bargain of June 2013. No fine was imposed. There was no discussion of eligibility for parole.

Court documents detailing the felony acts committed and justifying a substantial sentence for billing fraud were sealed and “not available to the public.” My earlier concerns that the public might never find out exactly what happened at St. Joseph London Hospital and in Laurel County appear to be being validated. The discussion in the courtroom was interesting and the legal proceedings were obviously conducted deliberately and fairly, but as a physician I was left feeling uncomfortable when it was declared to be a mitigating factor that no patients were harmed by Dr. Patil’s misconduct. Neither my notes nor my memory recall that the word angioplasty was used. Something is not computing for me that I need to more fully understand.

I will describe the afternoon’s events in more detail very soon.

Peter Hasselbacher, MD
President, KHPI
Emeritus Professor of Medicine, UofL
1 October, 2013