A doctor charged in the Sacred Heart Hospital fraud case has had his license temporarily suspended by the state of Illinois.
Dr. Subir Maitra is one of four doctors allegedly involved in a Medicaid and Medicare fraud scheme in which it is claimed that patients died as the result of unnecessary tracheotomies. Maitra’s attorneys asked a judge to delay the trial’s start because of the 73-year-old’s medical condition, saying he is physically frail and unable to focus for long periods of time.
The filing by Maitra’s attorneys led the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to temporarily suspend his license to practice medicine, saying that the filing indicated that he may be impaired and his practice may be a danger to public safety.
Along with Sacred Heart Hospital CEO Edward Novak, Maitra and three other doctors are charged with involvement in a scheme that allegedly involved unnecessary medical procedures and kickbacks for patient referrals. Investigations continue into five deaths linked to tracheotomies performed at the hospital.
Novak earlier sought to have his $10 million cash bond reduced, but U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel Martin denied the request, noting Novak’s extraordinary wealth. Martin noted that Novak had set forth no argument demonstrating financial difficulty due to the amount of the cash bond.