NEW YORK, March 22 (UPI) -- A New York physician was sentenced to 21 months in prison and ordered to make restitution of $1.7 million for Medicaid kickbacks, officials said.
Dr. Muhammad Ejaz Ahmad, 52, of Albertson, N.Y., specialized in infectious diseases, including the treatment of AIDS/HIV patients. Ahmad paid an illegal kickback of $40 to patients at office visits and then referred these patients to one of three pharmacies he owned, billing Medicaid for medications that were never dispensed, health officials said.
Dr. Richard F. Daines, New York state's commissioner of health, said Monday he used his emergency powers to summarily suspend the license of Ahmad. A summary suspension precludes Ahmad from caring for any patients pending the outcome of a disciplinary hearing, Daines said.
A summary suspension is based on the commissioner's determination that the continued practice of medicine by the physician constitutes an imminent danger to the health of the people of New York.
In addition, Daines summarily suspended the licenses of:
-- Dr. Alexander Rozenberg of New York City, who was found guilty of falsifying business records and insurance fraud.
-- Dr. Alexander Israeli of New York, who was found guilty of two counts of insurance fraud.
-- Dr. Gope Chelaram Hotchandani, who has an office is in Wisconsin and was convicted of insurance fraud.
