Indian-origin neurosurgeon fined over $2 million for medicare fraud in US

Rajesh Bindal, an Indian-origin doctor from Texas, has agreed to pay a fine of over $2 million to settle allegations of submitting false claims to Medicare and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Programme. He provided patients with non-invasive treatment but billed for invasive surgery.

In Short

• Neurosurgeon Rajesh Bindal falsely billed for surgeries that were not performed
• The Indian-origin doctor from Texas agreed to pay fine of $2M for Medicare fraud
• Bindal submitted false claims to enrich himself, said an attorney

An Indian-origin neurosurgeon from Sugar Land, Texas, has been fined over $2 million for medicare fraud involving false claims that he had performed invasive surgeries while having conducted non-invasive procedures using electro-acupuncture devices, according to a press release by US Attorney Alamdar S Hamdani. The attorney noted that neurosurgeons are among the highest-paid specialists in the United States and alleged that Rajesh Bindal submitted these claims to enrich himself.

Rajesh Bindal, an Indian-origin neurosurgeon, who ran his practice through Texas Spine & Neurosurgery Center PA, allegedly billed Medicare and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Programme (FEHBP) for surgical implantation of neurostimulator electrodes between March 16, 2021, and April 22, 2022.

These invasive surgeries, typically requiring an operating room, are reimbursed by Medicare and FEHBP at thousands of dollars per procedure.

However, according to the allegations, neither Bindal nor his staff actually performed these surgeries.

Instead, patients were reportedly provided electro-acupuncture devices, which involved inserting monofilament wires a few millimetres into the ear and securing them with adhesive tape. These procedures were performed in Bindal's clinic rather than a hospital or surgical centre.

In some cases, a device sales representative or a physician assistant allegedly handled the placement of the devices, which were then falsely billed as surgeries.

Patients often reported that the adhesive came loose within days, causing the devices to fall off.

“A neurosurgeon, like Bindal, should know when he is and is not performing surgery,” said Hamdani. “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."

“False claims come at a cost not only to our federal health care programmes but also to the members who rely on these programmes for necessary care,” said Special Agent in Charge Derek M Holt.