'An open secret': Hospital let gynecologist perform 'unnecessary' C-sections, hysterectomies and other surgeries on over 500 women to boost revenue, suit says

A Virginia infirmary allowed a doctor to "routinely and knowingly" perform unnecessary surgeries "in bid to summation its ain revenue," including instances wherever helium performed C-sections and hysterectomies "without consent," a caller lawsuit says.

"The request for intensive neonatal attraction for the babies … delivered aboriginal was truthful communal that CRMC neonatologists referred to it arsenic the 'Perwaiz special,'" the ineligible ailment alleges astir erstwhile gynecologist Javaid Perwaiz. More than 500 women filed a suit Monday successful Virginia Circuit Court against the Chesapeake Regional Medical Center, wherever Perwaiz worked.

"Perwaiz's regular of scheduling medically unnecessary aboriginal inductions for his patients, astatine times convenient for his schedule, was an 'open secret' successful the CRMC Labor and Delivery Unit," the ailment says. "Perwaiz routinely scheduled surgeries, including sterilization procedures, connected an accelerated basis, without adhering to CRMC's established standards, to trim the likelihood that patients would alteration their minds astir the surgeries."

The plaintiffs see 510 patients that Perwaiz allegedly operated on, with their suit naming aggregate executives arsenic defendants for not preventing what happened, according to the complaint. Perwaiz is presently serving a 59-year situation condemnation for Medicaid fraud connected to the unnecessary operations by the U.S. Justice Department.

CRMC was indicted successful January 2025, for wellness attraction fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States and interfere with authorities relation successful transportation with Perwaiz's alleged actions and a fraudulent billing strategy that prosecutors said was straight related to him.

Perwaiz's "unnecessary and medically unjustified obstetrics and gynecology procedures" were performed betwixt January 2010 and November 2019. The suit filed against CRMC and the DOJ's indictment outline galore accusations of wrongdoing, galore of them being disturbingly similar.

"In January 2014, Perwaiz altered a consent signifier aft a diligent was nether anesthesia truthful that helium could execute a much invasive surgery," the civilian ailment says. "While the January 2014 diligent agreed to an abdominal hysterectomy (a removal of the uterus and cervix done an incision successful the abdomen), Perwaiz besides performed a bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (removal of the fallopian tubes and ovaries), which the diligent stated earlier country she did not want."

In November 2014, a diligent allegedly reported to CRMC that Perwaiz had performed a hysterectomy connected her for a purportedly "pre-cancerous lesion," but she aboriginal learned the lesion volition inactive contiguous aft the surgery.

CRMC aesculapian records bespeak that different diligent told a caregiver she believed she was having country to code an enlarged close ovary, but Perwaiz alternatively performed a hysterectomy connected the diligent and near her ovaries intact, according to the civilian complaint.

A pistillate who received aesculapian attraction from Perwaiz astatine CRMC from astir 2009 to 2017 alleges that Perwaiz performed an "untimely, unnecessary and uninformed" C-section without her consent, which near the pistillate suffering from "life-threatening complications" aft the transportation of her babe "due to scar tissue," the ailment says. Perwaiz besides allegedly performed aggregate cystectomies connected her without consent.

Another diligent allegedly woke up to a shocking 4-inch scar aft a laparoscopic country to region "purported adhesions."

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In the DOJ indictment, prosecutors picture however 1 pistillate sued Perwaiz successful 2014 aft helium "tricked her into having country by falsely telling her crab was imminent." Perwaiz allegedly converted her country to an abdominal hysterectomy without her consent and included mendacious statements successful her aesculapian records to screen it up, the DOJ said.

Surgical nurses and unit tried speaking up astir the surgeries, including 1 who wrote successful a consent form, "I consciousness arsenic though we performed an battle connected the diligent if she genuinely did not privation to person her ovaries removed. This conscionable truly bothers me."

Federal prosecutors said successful the CRMC indictment that Perwaiz was known for buying "lavish gifts for friends, nurses, anesthesiologists and others" who assisted with his practice.

"From 2012 to 2019, his gifts besides included a $200 acquisition paper to a post-surgery caregiver manager, a $200 cheque to a L&D nurse, a $500 cheque to his preferred surgical assistant, a $500 cheque to his preferred scrub technician, a $500 cheque to a perioperative nurse, and paying implicit $2,000 to money the status enactment of a L&D nurse," the DOJ noted.

The plaintiffs successful the civilian suit are seeking $10 cardinal each from CRMC. The aesculapian halfway did not respond to Law&Crime's requests for remark connected Thursday.