Raj Bothra

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Raj Bothra
Born
India
OccupationSurgeon
Known forInterventional pain management
Spouse(s)Pammy
ChildrenSonia Bothra
AwardsPadma Shri

Raj Bothra is an American surgeon, humanitarian and politician of Indian origin.[1] He is a former Chief of Surgery at the Holy Cross Hospital, Detroit and practices interventional pain management at the Pain Centre USA, Warren.[2] He is a Fellow of the American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians (ABIPP)[2] and is associated with Indian health organizations in conducting lectures to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS and substance abuse.[1] He is politically aligned with the Republican Party and was appointed by George H. W. Bush as the co-chairman of the Asian-American Coalition for the 1988 United States presidential election.[3][4] He was awarded the fourth highest civilian award of the Padma Shri, by the Government of India, in 1999.[5] According to Detroit News, on Dec 6, 2018, Dr. Bothra was charged along with five other doctors, in an unsealed indictment, with cheating Medicare and Medicaid out of almost $500 million and fueling the nation's opioid epidemic by illegally prescribing more than 13 million doses of prescription pain medication.

The dollars and drugs involved make the alleged health care fraud conspiracy one of the largest in Michigan history, and one of the largest nationwide. The scheme was focused within three pain clinics in Macomb County. They are The Pain Center USA in Warren and Eastpointe, and Interventional Pain Center in Warren. The three clinics were owned and operated by Dr. Rajendra Bothra, 77, of Bloomfield Hills, a surgeon, humanitarian and politician. In 1999, Bothra was presented with the fourth highest civilian honor bestowed in India, known as the Padmashri.

Bothra was cited for humanitarian efforts in India, which included educating people about AIDS, the dangers of tobacco and alcohol, and fundraising efforts for medical equipment. Bothra's clinics "sought to bill insurance companies for the maximum number of services and procedures possible with no regard to the patients’ needs," prosecutors alleged.

In 2018, Dr Bothra was jailed for fuelling the nation's opioid epidemic, cheating Medicare and subjecting to needless, painful back injections. [6]

See also[]

  • Interventional pain management
  • 1988 United States presidential election

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Dr. Raj Bothra awarded Padma Shri". Embassy of India, Washington D C. 29 January 1999. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Our staff". Pain Center USA. 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  3. ^ "Changing convention". India Today. 15 September 1992. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  4. ^ Bouffard K. (January 1996). "Raj Bothra, MD. From healer to presidential appointee, he is a man committed to numerous charitable causes". Mich. Med. 95 (1): 38–39. PMID 8820940.
  5. ^ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  6. ^ "US: Padmashri Doctor accused of Healthcare fraud, gets bail on record Rs 50 crore bond". Medical Dialogues. 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2019.


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