A Houston anesthesiologist and pain medicine doctor, Dr. Ajay Aggarwal, has consented to pay a hefty $2 million-plus sum to settle claims of fraudulently billing federal health programs. The settlement, over the alleged false claims made for the implantation of neurostimulator electrodes, was announced by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Aggarwal, 63, leveraged his medical practice entities, Ajay Aggarwal, a sole proprietorship, and PRWCSWTX LLC, known as The Pain Relief & Wellness Center, to conduct the dubious billings.
The alleged scheme, stretching from November 2021 to March 2023, saw these programs—such as Medicare and the Department of Labor's Workers' Compensation Programs—billed for intricate procedures that would typically necessitate an operating room. However, according to the allegations released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, neither Aggarwal nor his staff performed surgical procedures. Patients reportedly received an electro-acupuncture type treatment, using monofilament wire positioned a few millimeters into the ear, with the neurostimulator attached behind it, a far cry from the costly procedures for which the federal programs were billed.
The investigation, which has culminated in civil penalties intended to act as a stark deterrent, was conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office with substantial support from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) offices of the U.S. Postal Service, Department of Labor, and Department of Health and Human Services, among others. "The civil penalties imposed today strongly serve as a clear deterrent to those engaging in fraud against federal benefit programs," Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Ulrich of the USPS-OIG remarked on the enforcement action's intent to prevent future offenses, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Stressing the role of oversight, Special Agent in Charge Casey Howard, DOL-OIG, Central Region highlighted the significance of the mission in safeguarding the integrity of workers’ compensation programs. "We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and OWCP to protect the integrity of DOL’s worker compensation programs," Howard stated, as noted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura E. Collins handled the settlement.
