A lawsuit against a Bon Secours Surgery Center in Suffolk, Va., ended in a settlement on Oct. 24, according to an Oct. 24 report from WAVY Norfolk.
The plaintiff alleged that Bon Secours was negligent in hiring and credentialing physician Javaid Perwaiz, MD, who was found guilty of 52 counts of healthcare fraud and related crimes in November 2020.
The plaintiff was a patient of Dr. Perwaiz in 2019 and she alleged that he performed an unnecessary procedure on her. He also gave her incomplete information about test results in order to convince her to go forward with the operation, she alleged.
Dr. Perwaiz practiced for almost four decades. In 1984, he was censured by the state board of medicine for poor recordkeeping and having a sexual relationship with a patient.
In 1996, he pled guilty to fraud and tax evasion and his license to practice was temporarily suspended.
In his 2007 application to work for and be licensed at the ASC, he repeatedly concealed or played down facts about his past, according to the report.
The center's managers failed to do due diligence and look into Dr. Perwaiz's background, according to the report. He was also attempting to become a partner at the center.
Lawyers argued that the ASC kept Dr. Perwaiz employed, despite years of insufficient licensing paperwork, in order to make money.
The terms of the settlement have been kept confidential.