Virginia doctor Javaid Perwaiz, 69, was arrested on Nov. 8 for health care fraud and making false statements relating to health care matters.
According to Virginian-Pilot, Perwaiz allegedly performed unnecessary surgeries on women involving hysterectomies, cystectomies, myomectomies, tubal ligation, and dilation & curettage, without their consent.
“A hysterectomy is the removal of the uterus, a cystectomy is the removal of a cyst and myomectomy is a removal of a uterine fibroid,” explains Virginian-Pilot. “Tubal ligation is a form of permanent birth control. A D&C is a procedure where a thin instrument is inserted into the uterus to remove tissue.”
The investigation began when a hospital employee reported agents about Perwaiz “performing unnecessary surgeries on unsuspecting patients” in 2018.
The employee told investigators that Perwaiz’s patients came into the hospital saying they are there for their “annual cleanouts,” not knowing the exact procedure they were undergoing.
Allegedly, Perwaiz performed so many surgeries that hospital staff could not keep up.
A court document signed by an FBI agent focused on four of Perwaiz’s patients.
On one of his patients, Perwaiz performed hysterectomies, removing the uterus, without the patients’ consent.
The patient had only found out when she went to a fertility specialist who told her, “both fallopian tubes were burnt down to nubs, making natural conception impossible.”
Perwaiz’s latest surgery occurred on Oct. 19 in which he performed “abdominal supracervical hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and lysis of adhesions,” according to ABC News.
The patient later told investigators she told the doctor she did not want a hysterectomy. Still, he told her it was the best option without offering alternatives.
Perwaiz later submitted claims to Blue Cross Blue Shield and was reimbursed $942.22 for the partial hysterectomy surgery.
According to a review of Medicaid claims, Perwaiz’s patients were subjected to repeated surgeries, and some were even on an annual basis.
ABC News reports that between Jan. 2014 to Aug. 2018, Perwaiz had performed surgery on 40 percent of his patients with Medicaid, totaling up to 510 patients. Of those patients, 42 percent of them received two or more surgeries.
Federal prosecutors have charged Perwaiz with “executing a scheme” to defraud the Virginia Medical Assistance Program and Blue Cross Blue Shield according to the court documents.
He is also charged with making false claims to Blue Cross Blue Shield for the latest patient he treated in October for providing her with the medical care she did not need.
Perwaiz has two offices in Chesapeake, Virginia, one on Churchland Boulevard and one on Wimbledon Square. He had a medical license since 1980, according to state records, and attended medical school in Pakistan and completed a residency at Charleston Area Medical Center.
