Indian-origin Neurosurgeon in US fined over $2 mn for medicare fraud involving false claims

Houston: A 53-year-old Indian-origin neurosurgeon in the United States, Dr Rajesh Bindal, has been fined more than USD 2 million for defrauding Medicare and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP). Dr Bindal, based in the Houston area, was ordered to pay USD 2,095,946 after being found guilty of falsely billing for surgeries that were never performed.

According to the PTI report, Dr Rajesh Bindal from the Houston area was fined USD 2,095,946 after being accused of defrauding Medicare and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), US Attorney Alamdar S Hamdani said on Wednesday.

According to federal investigators, Bindal billed for invasive procedures typically requiring operating rooms, yet no such surgeries were conducted. Instead, the devices were merely taped behind patients' ears, often falling off within days. 

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In some cases, the procedures were performed not by Bindal himself but by a device sales representative or a physician assistant at his clinic, Texas Spine & Neurosurgery Center P.A., rather than in a proper surgical setting.