PHILADELPHIA, PA — In a shocking revelation, Philadelphia-based physician Dr. Nishi Patel, who trained at Drexel University, has agreed to pay $95,000 to settle allegations of violating the False Claims Act. The accusations center around Dr. Patel allegedly ordering unnecessary genetic tests for Medicare beneficiaries.
Between August 2018 and May 2020, it’s claimed that Dr. Patel referred over 400 patients for these medically superfluous genetic tests, all of which were paid for by Medicare. The U.S. government alleges that Dr. Patel had no medical relationship with the patients, had never examined them, and that the referrals were based on cursory telemedicine consultations, or in some instances, no consultation at all. The cost of the genetic tests Dr. Patel ordered often ran into thousands of dollars per patient.
U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero made the announcement on Monday, highlighting the detrimental impact such practices have on vital public funds. “Doctors who refer patients for medically unnecessary and costly services, such as genetic testing, deplete vital funds from Medicare and other government healthcare programs,” said Romero. She added that her office would persist in working with law enforcement partners and using internal analytics tools to identify and hold accountable healthcare providers who unnecessarily inflate costs.
In response to the settlement, Maureen R. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, Region III, stated, “Accurately billing for services provided to Medicare beneficiaries is required of all health care providers.” She vowed that her office, alongside the U.S. Attorney’s Office, would continue to assess and pursue allegations of medically unnecessary services.
The case was managed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah W. Frey and Auditor Dawn Wiggins.
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