Crittenton to assist as FBI investigates fraudulent cancer doc’s private practice

On Tuesday, Aug. 6, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested local oncologist Farid Fata, M.D., for an alleged health care fraud scheme.

The owner and founder of Michigan Hematology Oncology Centers (MHO) with offices across Southeast Mich. has been prescribing medically unnecessary services, according to report by the United State’s Attorney’s Office.

The 48-year-old Oakland Township resident has submitted claims to Medicare for services like chemotherapy, Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans and more for patients who did not need them.

The lengthy complaint includes multiple allegations that the oncologist  “directed the administration of unnecessary chemotherapy to patients in remission; deliberate misdiagnosis of patients as having cancer to justify unnecessary cancer treatment; administration of chemotherapy to end-of-life patients who will not benefit from the treatment; deliberate misdiagnosis of patients without cancer to justify expensive testing; fabrication of other diagnoses such as anemia and fatigue to justify unnecessary hematology treatments, and distribution of controlled substances to patients without medical necessity or are administered at dangerous levels.”

In doing so, Fata has collected $35M from Medicare, $25M of which is attributable to him, the release states, over a two-year period.

Fata began his private practice in 2000.

As the case continues, Crittenton Hospital Medical Center, who was leasing office space to Fata at the MHO, will offer help wherever they can, says Brian Birney, director of marketing and communications for Crittenton.

“We’re doing what we can to help the patients,” he said. “We have other oncologists on-staff that we’re trying to—if we get those calls—trying to match (patients) up with them.”

They will also help coordinate with other doctors at the practice, should patients want to continue treatment at the center.

“We’re just trying to help steer people in the right direction,” Birney said.

Fata was a member of Crittenton’s 500-plus private practice staff but “that’s since been suspended,” Birney said.

For more information on how to prevent health care fraud, visit www.StopMedicareFraud.gov.