A Michigan doctor has been arrested for healthcare fraud, after he was accused of performing lumbar spinal fusion surgeries on patients without actually implanting any devices.

Patients discovered the misconduct after receiving second opinions because of continued pain following the surgery. The doctor, Aria Sabit, billed Medicare, Medicaid, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and other insurance companies for the unused devices.

This isn’t Sabit’s first run in with the law. He is currently facing two lawsuits accusing him of performing unneeded surgeries, according to a complaint unsealed last week in U.S. District Court in Detroit.

One of the suits alleges that the surgeries were performed after Sabit and two other doctors received payments from Reliance Medical Systems. According to the complaint, the doctors had a financial interest in a physician-owned distributorship, Apex Medical Technologies, which distributed Reliance’s implants.

Reliance is also under investigation for the alleged kickback scheme. — Kellen Owings

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