An Oakland County physician has been named in a criminal complaint that alleges she billed Medicare for services that were not provided and distributed Schedule II controlled substances that weren’t medically necessary.

Dr. Sangita Patel, 50, is accused of submitting false and fraudulent claims for telehealth visits from the Advance Medical Home Physicians Center, located in Troy. It’s also alleged that Patel delegated an unlicensed medical assistant to manage prescriptions for controlled substances in an electronic medical records system, and then distributed the drugs without interacting with the patients.

In regard to the telehealth services allegation as stated in a criminal complaint filed recently in U.S. District Court – Eastern District of Michigan, Patel never performed the services in accordance with Medicare regulations, which require such visits to include an audio and video component. According to an affidavit filed to support the complaint, cellular phone evidence shows someone in Tuscola County, Michigan had been calling Medicare beneficiaries on Patel’s behalf, and then Patel would submit claims as if she had provided telehealth visits to them.

The investigation into Patel’s billing records also turned up other allegations. As stated in the complaint, a study showed that between Jan. 1, 2018 and Oct. 12, 2021, there were “10 days when (she) billed over 24 hours of services, 12 days when she billed for between 20 and 24 hours of services, and 35 days when...

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