Fawkner GP Dr Jagjit Rattan admits falsifying patient records, Medicare bills

Dr Jagjit Rattan “absolutely accepts he did the wrong thing” falsifying records for two-and-a-half years.

A Fawkner GP falsified the medical records of an elderly woman and illegally billed Medicare 38 times for phony consultations with her, all while prescribing powerful painkillers with potentially major side effects.

Dr Jagjit Rattan on Wednesday faced a professional misconduct hearing at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, where his barrister, Ben Jellis SC, said his client was “apologetic for his conduct” and “admitted that his behaviour was inappropriate”.

Expert reports commissioned by medical watchdog AHPRA said Dr Rattan should have conducted home visits each six months to monitor while prescribing powerful painkiller Tramadol and sleeping pill Temazepam.

AHPRA barrister Christopher Lees said, “two and a half years is too long a period … at least some (face-to-face) medical review should have taken place over this period of time.”

Tribunal member Anna Dea said it was especially concerning that Dr Rattan did not arrange for a home visit with the woman when her children had suddenly stopped taking her to the Fawkner clinic, where she had been a patient since the 1990s.

“What concerns me is that there was something else going on,” Ms Dea said.

“Alarm bells are ringing for me as I read through the history of this.”

Dr Jagjit Rattan has admitted to falsifying medical records and rorted Medicare 38 times to bill for appointments with an elderly patient. Picture: LinkedIn

AHPRA investigators were unaware on Tuesday whether the woman was still alive.

Dr Rattan’s conduct was only uncovered when the elderly woman’s adult children complained to the medical regulator in 2019, when Dr Rattan stopped issuing her with repeat scripts for the medications she was on.

His Medicare rorting, concocted medical records and substandard treatment were uncovered when investigators reviewed clinic records.

The investigators found Dr Rattan concocted false examination results for non-existent appointments with the woman on each of the 38 occasions he billed Medicare for an appointment.

Mr Lees said there was a risk the woman could have shown up at a hospital with a

Investigators from AHPRA did not know whether the woman was dead or alive, and had not spoken with the family since 2021.

Mr Jellis said Dr Rattan’s two-and-a-half year rorting of Medicare was “not fraud”.

AHPRA agreed the rorting was “reckless” rather than intentional.

An AHPRA report said it was “well known, clear cut and indisputable” that charging Medicare for the type of appointments Dr Rattan did required seeing a patient face-to-face.

Mr Jellis said Dr Rattan had an unblemished disciplinary record starting work as a GP in 1993.

Mr Jellis said Dr Rattan “absolutely accepts he did the wrong thing” and only acted as he did because he was afraid the woman might end up deprived of pain medications if her children stopped taking her to medical appointments.

Mr Jellis said there was “room for mercy” in imposing sanctions against Dr Rattan, who has repaid the ill-gotten Medicare payments.

A VCAT disciplinary panel will deliver written reasons for sanctioning Dr Rattan at a later date.