Newtown Doctor Fined for False Insurance Claims

NEWTOWN, CT --- The state Medical Examining Board on Tuesday fined a Newtown psychiatrist $15,000 for submitting false insurance claims.

The doctor, Naimetulla Syed, MD, also has an office in Glastonbury, and is no stranger to the medical board's disciplinary activity.

In 2016, he paid $422,641 to resolve allegations that he submitted false claims to Medicare and Medicaid between 2009 and 2013. An inquiry revealed that he used a code for psychotherapy sessions lasting 45 to 50 minutes when in most cases, he only saw the patients for less than 30 minutes. The medical board also placed Syed’s medical license on probation for a year in connection with the false claims.

In 2013, Syed had been fined $5,000 by the board for similar allegations that he billed insurance in 2010 for patient visits that never occurred, state records show.

In 1998, the state suspended Syed's license for two years for improper prescribing of controlled substances, according to a report by the nonprofit Connecticut Health I-Team.