Richmond doctor pleads guilty to injecting patients with ozone gas, many without consent
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RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- A Richmond doctor has pleaded guilty after he injected several patients -- many of them unknowingly -- with ozone gas, claiming this unauthorized treatment would help with pain.
On Tuesday, Feb. 3, Dr. Jawad Bhatti of Richmond pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of the use of a misbranded drug as part of a plea agreement, per online court records. The terms of that agreement state that the other nearly two dozen charges he was facing will be dismissed.
This legal action against Bhatti, owner and operator of the Richmond pain management clinic Healing Hands of Virginia, came after he was accused of malpractice by both patients and employees.
Court documents state that, between July 2019 and October 2020, Bhatti manufactured and injected patients with a drug containing ozone gas.
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He advertised that the ozone injections he created had a variety of benefits, with applications ranging from easing pains to alleviating arthritis to treating diseases like cancer and AIDS. The "most important" application, per Bhatti, was treating lower back pain.
However, court documents explain that these claims are false, as ozone gas is toxic. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has determined ozone has "no known useful medical application," does not approve its use.
Despite having no authorization to perform these procedures, Bhatti would use "large syringes" to inject this drug directly into patients' bodies -- often "without those patients' informed knowledge and consent," instead only telling them that the drug he was administering would "alleviate the patients' pain."
These injections "caused immediate and subsequent physical side effects" in patients who received them. While court documents do not describe the nature of those side effects, sources like the Cleveland Clinic and this National Library of Medicine article state that "ozone therapy" symptoms can range from discomfort or cramping to dangerous complications like air embolisms and even lasting cognitive impairment.
Bhatti knew his injections were not approved by the FDA, with court documents containing multiple examples of him admitting to this. He also took steps to hide his conduct, including intentionally not mentioning his ozone injections in patients' medical records and using false billing codes with government healthcare programs like Medicaid, which allowed him to be reimbursed for the treatments despite their lack of approval.
"The actions taken by the defendant, as described above, were taken willfully and knowingly and with an intent to mislead," court documents state. The defendant did not take those actions by accident, mistake or with the belief that they did not violate the law."
According to Bhatti's plea agreement, the maximum sentence for the charge he pleaded guilty to is three years. He could also be required to pay a fine of up to $10,000, in addition to several other asset-related penalties.
Bhatti's exact sentence will be determined at his sentencing hearing at a later date.
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While the plea agreement states that Bhatti must permanently surrender his Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) controlled substance registration and never apply for one again, there is no mention of revoking his license to practice medicine.
As of the time of reporting, the Virginia Board of Medicine's license lookup tool reflects that Bhatti remains licensed to practice.
This is a developing story, stay with 8News for updates.
