Saturday, May 17, 2014

Questionable Doctor Report

Doctor Information

I am pleased with the recently released report  Questionable Doctors because I am confident that our healthcare system needs serious work  when it comes to patient’s safety.    I just think that the decision makers need a push in the right direction.
On the train, on my way to the NY State Department of Health patient safety committee the day after this report came out, I opened up the local newspaper, Long Island Newsday, and read an article about the wife of Dr. Anand Persaud, a Baldwin physician who improperly issued thousands of prescriptions for oxycodone and other drugs in exchange for cash payments in 2011 and 2012.   Now his wife is charged with criminal tax fraud and offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree.
Prosecutors said Dr. Persaud, an internist, wrote the prescriptions for powerful painkillers during at least 5,800 patient visit and sold prescriptions for oxycodone to undercover agents posing as patients without examining or questioning them.
A July 2013 Newsday article reports New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, whose Medicaid fraud unit conducted the 13-month investigation, said Persaud is one of the state's top prescribers of pain pills.  An August 2, 2013 report on News 12 Long Island reported Dr. Persaud is out on $500,000.00 bail.   Then, for almost a year, nothing until I read about his wife yesterday.
Looking at Dr. Persaud’s information on the NY State’ Physician Profile website, www.nydoctorprofile.com Anand Persaud is presently practicing (or could be) with no questionable actions (other than 3 settled medical malpractice cases) The state doesn’t add “under investigation” to their comments.
So one may say, if he is innocent until proven guilty Google your doc to get up to date information – if you even want to know.  

No comments: