The Florida Department of Health has filed a formal administrative complaint against an Ocala cardiologist, alleging that he documented false and contradictory symptoms to justify unnecessary medical procedures for a patient.
The complaint, filed on February 13, centers on the care of a 47-year-old male patient identified as “D.R.,” who sought a cardiovascular referral in January 2023 to be proactive about a family history of heart disease.
Although the patient reported being physically active and running up to 20 miles per week without pain, palpitations, or leg discomfort, the state alleges that Dr. Asad Ullah Qamar recorded an extensive list of severe, non-existent symptoms in the man’s medical files.
According to state investigators, Dr. Qamar’s documentation claimed the patient suffered from heart palpitations, radiating chest pain, “unrelenting” leg and foot pain, and limb weakness.
As a result, the doctor ordered several tests for the man to complete, including a nuclear treadmill stress test, a lower extremity arterial doppler, a 2D echocardiogram with doppler, a carotid doppler, and a 24-hour Holter Monitor study.
During a follow-up visit after the procedures in February 2023, the records allegedly escalated to describing the active patient as “housebound and physically disabled” with an inability to perform daily activities.
At the time, Dr. Qamar diagnosed the man with a prior myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, and chronic lower limb ischemia, recommending he undergo both a left heart catheterization and a peripheral angiogram.
The complaint suggests the patient was confused by numerous alleged contradictions in the doctor’s notes, alleging he simultaneously documented that the patient’s legs were “restless” and “not restless,” and that his carotid pulses were both “diminished” and “not diminished.”
As a result, the patient allegedly sought a second opinion from another board-certified cardiologist.
That physician found the patient’s feet to be normal and noted the man could run several kilometers without any of the chest or leg pain recorded by Dr. Qamar.
The state has charged Dr. Qamar with making deceptive or fraudulent representations in the practice of medicine and failing to keep accurate medical records that justify a course of treatment.
The Department of Health is requesting that the Board of Medicine impose penalties that could include an administrative fine, probation, suspension, or even the permanent revocation of Dr. Qamar’s medical license.
Dr. Qamar has 21 days from the receipt of the complaint to request an administrative hearing to contest the allegations.
No final determination has been made regarding his license at this stage of the proceedings.