A Memphis doctor has been convicted on multiple charges of health care fraud and issues related to the use of medical devices, as reported by the Department of Justice. Dr. Sanjeev Kumar was found guilty of eighteen counts of adulteration of medical devices, sixteen counts of misbranding medical devices, and six counts of health care fraud, after a jury deliberation that lasted for five days. Kumar, a gynecologic oncologist, was accused of fraudulently billing Medicare and Medicaid for non-essential procedures and using inadequately sterilized devices at his Poplar Avenue Clinic.
From 2019 to 2024, more than 15,000 hysteroscopy procedures with biopsies were performed by Kumar and practitioners under his supervision on nearly 5,600 patients, resulting in over $41 million in billings to government health care programs. U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said the physician prioritized profit over patient care, targeting a vulnerable population of women. Authorities said the operation involved the improper use of both reusable and single-use medical devices, exposing patients to potential infection and other medical complications.
According to the Justice Department's announcement, Kumar failed to follow the necessary steps to disinfect reusable devices between uses and mislabeled single-use devices, which should have been disposed after a single application. Kumar only purchased a meager quantity of new single-use hysteroscopes, and even several years after their purchase, some were still found in use at the clinic.
"FDA’s requirements for safe use of medical devices are in place to protect the health of the public. When healthcare providers disregard safety information, including single-use and single-user designations, resulting in the adulteration and misbranding of medical devices, they put patients’ health at risk," Acting Special Agent in Charge Juan Berrios of the FDA's Office of Criminal Investigations stated. Kumar's actions led to a massive defrauding of Medicare and Medicaid, amounting to a net of over $4.8 million from these procedures. TBI Director David Rausch emphasized that "profits should never come before patient safety," reaffirming the duty of health care providers to prioritize patient well-being, as mentioned on the Attorney's Office Website.
Kumar's sentencing is scheduled for April 9, 2026, and he faces up to 10 years imprisonment for each count of Health Care Fraud, in addition to three years for each count related to the Adulteration and Misbranding of Medical Devices. The investigation, which resulted in Kumar's conviction, was conducted collectively by HHS-OIG, FDA-OCI, TBI, and the FBI, following an initiative by the Tennessee Attorney General's office. Kumar's prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lynn Crum, Scott Smith, and Sarah Pazar Williams.
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