A gynecologist in Virginia is facing a 465-year prison sentence after being found guilty of performing unnecessary surgeries on his patients. The Justice Department announced on Monday that a federal jury convicted Dr. Javaid Perwaiz, of Chesapeake, on 52 counts tied to performing medically unnecessary surgeries on his patients, some of which were hysterectomies, since at least 2010. Perwaiz would bill private and government insurance companies millions of dollars for the surgeries. Court records show he also induced pregnant patients early to be reimbursed for deliveries, violated 30-day waiting periods for elective irreversible sterilizations, and billed insurance companies hundreds of thousands of dollars for procedures he didn’t actually perform.
Perwaiz would tell his patients that the surgeries were necessary, and in some instances, said they were needed to avoid the spread of cancers. Perwaiz operated on 41.26% of patients over a 10-year period. Melinda Matzell, an investigator with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, said in testimony seen by the Pilot that an average doctor performs surgeries on just 7.63% of patients. Perwaiz had his medical license revoked in 1984 and had been convicted on tax fraud felony charges in 1995, according to WTKR. He said his license was later reinstated. Perwaiz is set to be sentenced on March 31 and faces up to 465 years in prison.
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