(Atavist) – An ob-gyn in Virginia performed unnecessary surgeries on patients for decades. When his victims learned the truth, they fought back.

Of the more than 80 births Perwaiz billed Medicaid and Tricare, another insurer, for in 2019, at least 33 involved patients induced before 39 weeks with no medical indication that they needed it. (Early induction is not recommended unless the health of a fetus or the person carrying it is at risk.) According to the indictment, to avoid dealing with questions from insurers, Perwaiz sometimes falsified a patient’s estimated due date so it appeared they were past 39 weeks when he induced them.

Many of the patients listed in the indictment described suffering “serious bodily injury” as a result of what Perwaiz did. But there were also allegations of crimes involving no bodies at all. The indictment stated that, between 2010 and 2019, Perwaiz billed insurers for more than $2.3 million in procedures and surgeries, including “hysteroscopies and colposcopies, that he did not actually perform.” In other words, there were procedures he’d simply made up. (Read More)