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Sentence is in for fugitive Texas doctor guilty of Medicaid fraud

Physician Practice Advisor, March 9, 2004

Score one for Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott.

On March 1, Abbott won a more than 10 year prison sentence and an $8.4 million dollar restitution against Dr. Dippakumar "Dipak" Patel, a Midland, TX doctor who was convicted in April 2003 for conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, healthcare fraud, and 45 counts of mail fraud.  Patel has been a fugitive since January 2003.

The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in the Texas Attorney General's department worked with the FBI to discover that Patel attempted to collect $40 million from government insurance companies for treatments he didn't perform. During one seven-month period, Patel billed a volume of services so high, he would have had to work around the clock, seven days a week in order to have completed all the treatments he claimed, according to Abbott.

"When authorities finally track down this rogue doctor, we will demand restitution for the taxpaying citizens of Texas who support Medicaid," Abbott said in a written statement. "Those who masquerade as physicians performing legitimate work, exploit the needy, and brazenly rob taxpayers will ultimately pay a high price."

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