OCALA, Fla. — The federal government has filed a new complaint against a central Florida cardiologist.
According to the lawsuit, Dr. Asad Qamar put patients’ lives at risk by performing invasive cardiovascular procedures that they did not need.
According to the complaint, Qamar’s often unnecessary medical procedures made him the highest paid Medicare cardiologist in the country.
Document: Federal complaint against Dr. Qamar
But federal government officials said he made his $35 million while putting the lives of unsuspecting patients at risk.
The 100-page complaint said the Institute of Cardiovascular excellence recklessly submitted Medicare claims for procedures patients did not need.
The office allegedly waived patient co-pays, so many patients did not question the excessive tests and treatments that could put their lives at risk because the government was forking over the money.
With Qamar’s approval, one employee instructed staff in an email to overbook the schedule, according to the complaint.
At times, there were seven patients scheduled an hour and sometimes employees would order pizza to keep patients happy in the waiting room.
Dereck Welch was one of Qamar’s patients. He believes he almost died under the doctor’s care.
“I would say (to him), you know the condition that I was in. You knew where the artery was and hard for you to reach. Why didn’t you stop there and send me to the hospital?” Welch said.
Another of Qamar’s patients said the doctor saved his life.
“No doubt in my mind I’d be dead if I was still in New York,” said patient Joseph Bailey.
He doesn’t buy the government’s claims in the lawsuit.
“They want to stop him. Make an example of him so other doctors are afraid to do these procedures,” said Bailey.
The complaints said the director of the lab admitted in an email that their frenetic schedule and late hours led to breakdowns in patient care, which the email said occurred “more often than we know.”
Astatement from Greg Kehoe, an attorney on Qamar’s counsel, released a statement that read, “Dr. Qamar is dedicated to his patients, practices under the highest medical and ethical standards and has an outstanding, long-term record of positive patient outcomes. Claims to the contrary are baseless and the doctor will defend himself vigorously.”
WFTV
