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NEWARK
- A Union and Essex County pain management
physician, indicted in August on criminal
charges of having fraudulently billed Medicare
and private insurers for more than $50 million,
will remain barred from practice after the
N.J. Supreme Court denied a motion by the
physician to stay an order of temporary suspension
issued by the State Board of Medical Examiners
earlier this month.
The
Board of Medical Examiners, after reviewing
the record of a 10 hour hearing before a
committee, ordered the temporary suspension
of the medical license of Dr. Amgad Hessein,
54. The Board found that Hessein had fabricated
medical records to support his fraudulent
billings and that those records could not
be trusted to determine if his care was
appropriate. Nor could his records - which
purported to document pain treatment on
days when his office was not even open --
be relied upon by other health care professionals
who subsequently treated his patients.
“Without
an accurate record of medical care, these
patients are put at risk, and the Board
appropriately found that the fabrication
of medical records presents a clear and
imminent threat to the public health, safety,
and welfare.” Attorney General Paula
T. Dow said. “Dr. Hessein's alleged
actions raised concerns that required the
Board to take immediate action to protect
the public.”
“The
emergent action taken by the Board was necessary,”
said Thomas R. Calcagni, Director of the
New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs.
“Health care fraud not only depletes
scarce dollars from the resources available
to those in need of medical services, but,
when perpetrated through a pervasive pattern
of record fabrication, it leaves vulnerable
patients without the ability to receive
care tailored to their needs.”
The
Board's order of temporary license suspension
will remain in effect indefinitely, pending
further action of the Board and completion
of a full hearing on the ten count complaint,
alleging gross negligence, extensive fraud
and indiscriminate prescribing of Controlled
Dangerous Substances.
Division
of Law Deputy Attorney General Kay R. Ehrenkrantz
of the Professional Boards Prosecution Section,
represented the State in this matter, with
the assistance of investigators from the
Division of Consumer Affairs' Enforcement
Bureau.
Follow
the Division of Consumer Affairs on Facebook
at www.facebook.com/pages/NJ-Division-of-Consumer-Affairs/112957465445651,
and check our online calendar of upcoming
Consumer Outreach events at www.NJConsumerAffairs.gov/outreach/.
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