Chesapeake Regional Healthcare (CRH) in Chesapeake, Virginia, has recently been indicted on charges of healthcare fraud, conspiracy to defraud the U.S., and interference with government functions. The indictment involves Dr. Javaid Perwaiz, a prominent doctor who had privileges at the hospital from 1984 until his arrest in 2019. CRH gave privileges to Dr. Perwaiz after knowing he had been terminated at another hospital for performing unnecessary surgeries, indicted on six counts of felony tax fraud in 1995, and convicted of two federal felonies in 1996. Donald Buckley, who remained the president and CEO until 2005, had allegedly been notified by Perwaiz’ previous place of employment, Maryview Hospital, that Dr. Perwaiz was terminated for performing unnecessary surgeries. A local OB/GYN known as W.R. in the indictment has been expressing concerns about Perwaiz since 1996, estimating that about 2/3 of Perwaiz’s patient surgeries were medically unnecessary.
On January 12, 2025, federal prosecutors announced that CRH had been indicted for allegedly receiving roughly $18.5M in reimbursements from healthcare benefit programs for unnecessary medical procedures on patients. Specifically, Dr. Perwaiz allegedly performed unnecessary hysterectomies and other gynecological surgeries—and falsified medical records to ensure reimbursement for services that were not medically justified. The hospital allegedly defrauded Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, Anthem, Optima, Humana, Cigna, Aetna, United and others in order to receive reimbursements for obstetric deliveries before 39 weeks of gestation for no medical reason.
A review for Medicaid patients in 2019 found that approximately 64% of the forms submitted were altered, resulting in around 39% of Perwaiz’s patients being induced before 39 weeks of gestation for no medical reason. Dr. Perwaiz was able to schedule these deliveries, by submitting two obstetric flowsheets to the hospital, one with an accurate due date within the standard of care, and one which was allegedly fabricated to appear that patient was at or after 39 weeks of gestation at the time of delivery. Dr. Perwaiz also was said to have performed sterilizations of Medicaid patients without the valid consent forms, and regularly misclassified inpatient surgeries as outpatient procedures, allowing him to continue to perform the surgeries. As alleged, CRH knew of Perwaiz actions and knowingly disregarded patient care in order to increase its own revenue.
According to the indictment, the fraudulent activities took place over an extended period, affecting numerous patients. The allegations suggest that the hospital and Dr. Perwaiz acted with intent to exploit vulnerable patients—many of whom may have undergone unnecessary surgeries without fully understanding the risks or need for these procedures. U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Jessica D. Aber, stated that the grand jury found CRH to be complicit in “the horrifying scheme to place profits over patient care.” In November 2020, one year after Perwaiz was arrested, he was convicted of 52 counts of health care fraud and false statements and was sentenced to a total of 59 years in prison. Around 38 of those counts were for procedures conducted at CRH. Prosecutors claim that the doctor submitted claims for these procedures, knowing they were medically unnecessary, and manipulated records to ensure insurance reimbursement. As a result, both the hospital and Dr. Perwaiz allegedly defrauded government healthcare programs and private insurers out of millions of dollars.
The indictment of Dr. Perwaiz and Chesapeake Regional Healthcare raises significant concerns for the local community and patients who trusted the hospital for their medical needs. The nature of the allegations—performing unnecessary surgeries—can have devastating consequences for patients, both physically and emotionally. For many, the prospect of undergoing an invasive procedure under false pretenses is deeply troubling. Patients who have received gynecological services from Dr. Perwaiz are left wondering whether they were subjected to unnecessary surgeries. The hospital’s reputation is now at risk, and the community is grappling with the idea that one of its leading medical professionals may have engaged in such unethical conduct.