SUGAR LAND, Texas — A neurosurgeon in Sugar Land has agreed to pay a multi-million-dollar fine after he was accused of submitting false Medicare claims, U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani announced Wednesday.
The feds say Dr. Rajesh Bindal, 53, was slapped with a $2,095,946 fine for falsely claiming he did surgeries to implant electro-acupuncture devices. Bindal submitted the claims from Texas Spine & Neurosurgery Center P.A. to Medicare and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP).
Medicare and the FEHBP paid thousands of dollars for each invasive procedure which usually requires the use of an operating room.
According to the feds, Bindal and his staff never performed the surgeries and instead taped the devices behind patients' ears. Most patients claimed the adhesive came loose and the device fell off within a few days.
They say some procedures were done by a device sales representative or a physician assistant in Bindal’s clinic, not a hospital or surgical center.
“A neurosurgeon, like Bindal, should know when he is and is not performing surgery,” Hamdani said. “Even though neurosurgeons, according to one study, are the highest paid physician specialists in the United States, Bindal allegedly submitted false claims in an effort to further enrich himself."
“Ensuring that health care professionals are held accountable for submitting false claims to Medicare is essential for preserving public trust and safeguarding critical resources,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason E. Meadows of the Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General (DHHS-OIG). “Dr. Bindal not only submitted false claims to Medicare but also deceived our most vulnerable population."
The U.S. Attorney’s Office led the investigation.
