Sangita Patel, MD, a Troy, Mich.-based physician, has been named in a criminal complaint filed with the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan alleging that she prescribed drugs that were not medically necessary and billed Medicare for nonexistent telehealth visits, The Oakland Press reported Feb. 8.
Dr. Patel is accused of having someone call Medicare beneficiaries on her behalf and then submitting claims that these calls were telehealth visits. Additionally, she is accused of having an unlicensed medical assistant manage drug prescriptions without interacting with patients.
Further investigation into Dr. Patel's billing found 10 days that she billed for more than 24 hours of service, according to the report.