Houston anesthesiologist Rezik Saqer, MD, received a seven-year prison sentence Oct. 9 for his role in a $5 million healthcare fraud scheme tied to "multiple patient deaths," according to the Department of Justice.
During his sentencing in the Southern District of Texas, Dr. Saqer was also ordered to pay $5 million in restitution. The decision comes after Dr. Saqer pleaded guilty in July 2019 to one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud.
Dr. Saqer was accused of fraudulently billing healthcare programs for at least $5 million in medical tests and procedures while practicing in Houston at Texas Pain Solutions and Integra Medical Clinic.
His scheme involved "luring vulnerable patients to his clinics by prescribing powerful opioid narcotics, and then requiring the patients to submit to unnecessary and dangerous procedures and tests," which were often performed by unlicensed staff, according to the DOJ.
Dr. Saqer's scheme played a role in multiple overdose deaths, as well as the death of a young family in a car accident involving one of his patients, according to evidence presented at sentencing.
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