Dermatologist charged after 'misdiagnosing' patients with skin cancer
http://www.insidenova.com/headlines/dermatologist-charged-after-misdiagnosing-patients-with-skin-cancer/article_d197450a-2348-11e4-ae1a-001a4bcf887a.html
A Northern Virginia dermatologist has been charged with health care fraud after authorities said he intentionally misdiagnosed patients with skin cancer.
A federal grand jury at U.S. District Court in Alexandria Tuesday indicted Amir Bajoghli, 44, of McLean, on 60 counts of health care fraud, aggravated identity theft and obstruction of justice.
Bajoghli is accused of defrauding “various health benefit programs” through his medical practice, Skin and Laser Surgery Center, with offices in Stafford, Woodbridge, Vienna and Washington, D.C., according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Prosecutors said Bajoghli “intentionally misdiagnosed patients with skin cancer,” performed unnecessary surgery procedures on them, and submitted claims to health care benefit programs based on fraudulent skin cancer diagnoses.
Bajoghli is also accused of insurance companies for surgeries he did not perform and of improperly disposing medical waste in his offices.
The indictment also alleges that Bajoghli “directed his unlicensed and unqualified medical assistants” to close wounds and perform other procedures on his patients at follow-up visits, sometimes leaving “critical decisions regarding patient care” to the medical assistants while he was at other offices. Bajoghli told his staff members to tell patients that he had performed their wound closures, whether or not that was true, the indictment claims.
If convicted, Bajoghli faces up to 10 years in prison for each health care fraud count, two years for each of the aggravated identity theft counts and up to 20 years for obstruction of justice.
According to his practice’s website, Bajoghli’s office “treats patients for all skin concerns, including skin cancer surgery, cosmetic dermatology, sclerotherapy, laser peels, laser hair removal, hyperhidrosis, rosacea and acne treatments.”
Bajoghli was named the region’s top dermatologist by Washingtonian magazine from 2005 to 2012, according to his website.
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