Hospital slumlord: Owner of failed Texas hospital chain rescinds deal

[TexasTowelie]

Dr. Tariq Mahmood's 10,000 sq. ft. home in Cedar Hill, Texas (near Dallas). Regulators gave the six Texas hospitals in his chain nearly $18 million in economic stimulus funds for switching to electronic medical records.
Photo: G.J. McCarthy/The Dallas Morning News

TYLER — A federal judge on Monday allowed the indicted owner of a failed Texas hospital chain to replace his attorney and rescind an 11th-hour guilty-plea deal reached with prosecutors a week before testimony was to begin in his trial.

But the judge vented his frustration with Dr. Tariq Mahmood, who is charged with 15 counts of Medicare fraud, saying he wouldn’t grant the Dallas businessman’s latest request, for a 90-day trial delay, after at least three previous postponements. The judge approved a shorter extension, moving testimony from next week to July 21.

“This really, completely upsets everything,'” U.S. District Judge Michael Schneider said after detailing months of procedural moves by Mahmood that had disrupted his court docket and schedules of attorneys and witnesses on both sides. “Ninety days is out of the question.”

On Friday, Mahmood suddenly moved to dump veteran Houston trial lawyer Dan Cogdell, who has led Mahmood’s legal efforts for about eight months. The court motion came less than 24 hours after Cogdell and prosecutors filed court papers announcing that Mahmood would plead guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit Medicare fraud.

More at http://www.dallasnews.com/news/state/headlines/20140512-owner-of-failed-texas-hospital-chain-rescinds-deal.ece .

[font color=green]Justice would be better served if the trial started on May 21 instead of July 21. The egregious malfeasance of this man affected six hospitals (the hospitals in Center, Grand Saline, and Terrell closed; the hospitals in Cameron, Dilley and Whitney are still open). Patients died and others were endangered due to how this doctor ran his hospitals, ER doctors worked 24 hour shifts, physicians and nurses were not vetted and property taxes were not paid.

In addition, state regulators were unaware that Dr. Mahmood owned more than one hospital. A whistleblower first reported Dr. Mahmood back in 2008.[/font]

Related threads (in reverse chronological order)
Indicted owner of Texas hospital chain to plead guilty to fraud conspiracy
http://www.democraticunderground.com/107817949

Loss of East Texas town’s hospital (due to Medicare billing fraud) hits home after toddler chokes
http://www.democraticunderground.com/107812403

FBI investigating recent document destruction at Cameron hospital
http://www.democraticunderground.com/107810860

In rare move, sheriff takes control of Central Texas Hospital; effort aimed at protecting community
http://www.democraticunderground.com/107810599

Other links are available at this newspaper article:
http://watchdogblog.dallasnews.com/2013/08/18-million-to-reward-unsafe-hospitals-alarm-in-congress.html/

The most critical article is this:
http://www.dallasnews.com/investigations/headlines/20130713-patients-died-amid-federal-state-regulatory-inaction.ece

[TxDemChem]

1. I'm glad you posted this.

I assumed after his deal that things were over and done. Heck, I was waiting for some sort of sentencing. He's wasting taxpayer time and money. Dangerous, dangerous man.

[TexasTowelie]

2. It is difficult for me to ignore this story.

I get the same story with slightly different twists from my brother who is also a hospital worker. He is at a rural hospital run by a corporation that runs two other hospitals nationwide. They are constantly pinching pennies and are most likely violating regulations. Meanwhile, people in the community are seeking care elsewhere since they don't have any confidence in the staff at the hospital or that the lights may be shut off because the hospital is in arrears on the bills.

That hospital recently ran a newspaper article pleading for people to come back and give them another chance after laying off about 80% of the employees. Personally, I'm reluctant to go to a hospital putting in a psych ward with PTSD veterans when they won't pay for any security personnel at the hospital. It will be a dangerous situation ready to explode.

[TxDemChem]

3. That is terrible. I knew things were going downhill in certain places, but that is just awful.

With so large of a layoff, I'd be afraid they wouldn't have the staff to even treat the patients they already have, let alone additional patients who may return. And you are absolutely correct about the psych ward. If a person (vet or not) is admitted, there is already a need for security. Just in case. And especially if they are admitted without the need for their consent. They could be royally pissed.
Scary.