The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas announced that Dr. Samad Khan has agreed to pay $3.5 million to resolve allegations of fraudulent billing to the federal government—thanks to a federal investigation targeting misuse of emergency pandemic funds.
Dr. Samad Khan, owner of SK Primary Care, PLLC, was accused of submitting false claims to the COVID-19 Uninsured Program, which reimbursed providers for testing and treatment of uninsured individuals during the public health emergency. From April 2020 to October 2021, Khan allegedly billed for evaluation and management (E/M) services that were never performed.
Under the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding system, higher-level E/M services (CPT 99202–99205, 99212–99215) are intended to reflect complex medical care requiring direct attention by a physician or qualified healthcare provider.
Patients at Khan’s walk-up and drive-through COVID test sites were allegedly not evaluated by any licensed providers—only medical assistants conducted nasal swabs, a service properly billed under CPT 99211.
Khan allegedly submitted approximately 400,000 claims under higher-level codes and was the sole rendering provider listed. Many of the claims were for duplicated visits, with one charge for the test and another for delivering results—often via automated message, not through medical consultation.
“These were not medical appointments,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs. “Patients received a nasal swab and later got a text message with their results. Yet the government was billed for comprehensive office visits.”According to the complaint, Khan, in coordination with SK Primary Care’s management company, used inflated codes to maximize reimbursement from the Uninsured Program. The scheme generated millions in overpayments—diverting public funds meant to support pandemic response for those without health insurance.
Find Corporate Waste is tracking a growing number of fraud cases involving COVID-19 relief funds—an urgent reminder that emergency spending, no matter how critical, requires oversight. Whistleblowers and investigators remain essential to protecting the integrity of public programs.
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