A convicted child molester, a physician possessing child pornography, a doctor with dementia, and a healthcare marketer who participated in a $600 million kickback scheme are among those suspended from California’s Workers’ Compensation program in the latest enforcement round.
The eight Southern California providers include an Orange healthcare marketer along with physicians in Marina Del Rey, Santa Monica, Covina, Moreno Valley, Desert Hot Springs, and West Covina and a Palm Springs nurse, the state’s department of industrial relations said Tuesday.
The professionals, part of the vast safety net for 18 million California wage-earners, were among 85 providers suspended so far this year.
State officials released the following details on the cases:
Paul Richard Randall of Orange, a healthcare marketer and owner of Summit Medical group pleaded guilty in federal court in April 2012 for his role in a spinal surgery kickback scheme. According to a federal officials, Randall recruited chiropractors and doctors to refer patients in exchange for illegal kickbacks involving $600 million in fraudulent claims.
Guven Uzun, a Marina Del Rey physician, violated the terms of his 2011 probation due to charges of negligence and falsifying medical records.
Farhad Hafezi, a Covina physician, was found guilty of felony charges of sexual assault involving a minor. A registered sex offender, his medical license was revoked by the Medical Board of California in 2014.
Troy Ericsen Palmer, a Moreno Valley physician, surrendered his license April 4 to the Osteopathic Medical Board of California after pleading guilty to possessing child pornography.
Keith Robert Deorio, a physician with Santa Monica’s DeOrio Wellness Center, had his license revoked by the Medical Board of California on July 21 after repeated violations of the Medical Practice Act.
Christopher Allen Scott, a Palm Springs vocational nurse, had his license revoked by the California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians in January for methamphetamine possession and use.
Joseph Struzzo, a Desert Hot Springs physician, on Aug. 4 was forbidden to practice by the Medical Board of California following a finding that he suffers from dementia that impairs his ability to practice medicine safely. Struzzo denied issuing any prescriptions to a patient for oxycodone or hydrocodone although documents indicated that he had written several prescriptions for these drugs.
Adly Ayad Azab, 73, a West Covina physician, had his license revoked Aug. 23 by the Medical Board of California after a finding that he suffers from mild cognitive impairment and memory loss making it unsafe to practice medicine.
The California legislature’s workers’ compensation reforms of 2012 helped state officials generate new data to expose fraudulent practices and schemes. “Stronger laws allowed us to go after these guys,” said Peter Melton, a spokesman for the department of industrial relations.
Legislation effective in January this year requires the suspension of any medical provider, physician or practitioner from participating in the workers’ compensation system in cases where:
- The provider has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor involving fraud or abuse of the Medi-Cal or Medicare programs or the workers’ compensation system, fraud or abuse of a patient, or related types of misconduct;
- The provider has been suspended due to fraud or abuse from the Medicare or Medicaid (including Medi-Cal) programs; or
- The provider’s license or certificate to provide health care has been surrendered or revoked.
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