LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — A Lake County woman said she is furious after learning on Channel 9 that her cardiologist allegedly performed procedures on patients that they didn't need to in an effort to make more money.
On Monday, Channel 9 reported that the federal government is suing the doctor and his physician group, which has offices in Ocala, The Villages and Tavares.
On Wednesday, Channel 9's Lori Brown went to the doctor's Ocala office to try to get answers.
Through his ads Dr. Asad Qamar worked hard to paint himself as a trustworthy doctor.
Former Fruitland Park commissioner and retired CPA Sharon Kelly said she trusted him. She said she hopes no one else trusts him.
"He was like, 'I'm a good guy, I'm going to make your life better,' and he didn't. He made my life worse," Kelly said.
Kelly said Qamar performed numerous procedures on her between 2010 and 2012.
She said when she had a heart attack she decided to stop seeing him and tried to find an attorney.
"No one would take the case because they said you have to have permanent damage. I have permanent damage, but how do you prove it?" Kelly said.
She said the lawsuit by the U.S. Department of Justice that accuses Qamar of performing unnecessary procedures on patients to make money validates her fears about what happened to her.
According to the DOJ lawsuit, Qamar failed to refer a patient to a specialist for a life-threatening heart blockage. The suit says he put in a stint in the patient's leg and she died from complications. The government's lawsuit accuses him of performing unnecessary procedures on other patients.
The lawsuit said Qamar received $18 million in Medicare reimbursements in 2012, making him the highest paid cardiologist in the country -- times four.
Brown asked WFTV legal analyst Bill Sheaffer if Qamar's patients could be entitled to any legal compensation. He said it is only a remote possibility, because medical malpractice cases are difficult and expensive to litigate, and damage is hard to prove, even when you have the Justice Department involved.
In a statement to Brown, Greg Kehoe, with Greenberg Traurig, the lawfirm representing Qamar said: "Dr. Qamar practices under the highest medical and ethical standards. Any claims to the contrary are baseless and the doctor will defend himself vigorously against these unsubstantiated allegations.”
WFTV
