Apazidis,\u00a0who has an office in Westbury and lives in St. James, has attributed the duplicative operative reports to\u00a0a medical records template<\/a> he was required to use while performing “standardized and highly repetitive” procedures at NUMC.<\/p>\n Joshua Sussman, an attorney for Apazidis, declined to comment on the suit.<\/p>\n Previous misconduct allegations<\/p>\n At the time of the surgery, Apazidis was affiliated with Total Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, with four Long Island locations.<\/p>\n Since 2007, Total Ortho has had a contract to operate NUMC’s orthopedics department<\/a>. NUMC’s new state-appointed board has launched an investigatory review<\/a>\u00a0of Total Ortho’s surgical cases and said it plans to reduce the company’s outsized role at the hospital.<\/p>\n In 2015, Apazidis had his medical license suspended for 36 months and was fined $50,000 after admitting to allegations of “negligence” and “incompetence,” according to state Health Department records. The suspension was stayed, allowing Apazidis to continue practicing while on probation after paying the fine.<\/p>\n Apazidis admitted improperly prescribing a compounded topical gel containing ketamine, a powerful anesthetic with hallucinogenic effects, to dozens of patients, records show. He also failed to use an official New York State prescription form when distributing the medication and inappropriately prescribed oxycodone without meeting with or evaluating a patient, according to the records.<\/p>\n In August, Newsday reported on a lawsuit<\/a> filed by Kerry Dinallo, of Amityville, who contends she twice nearly died following spinal fusion surgery performed by Apazidis.<\/p>\n Nearly two weeks after surgery, after being sent home from St. Joseph Hospital in Bethpage, Dinallo’s carotid artery ruptured from her surgical wound, leaving her again clinging to life, according to court records.<\/p>\n Three years later, Dinallo said she can eat only baby food or yogurt, and coughs and vomits daily. She said she has twitches in her left eye and limited use of her right hand, major gaps in her short- and long-term memory, and suffers from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.\u00a0<\/p>\n Targeting delivery trucks<\/p>\n The alleged\u00a0staged accident scheme, the suit contends,\u00a0was perpetrated by clients of the\u00a0Brooklyn-based \u00a0Ikhilov Law Group\u00a0 and its owner, Zorik “Erik” Ikhilov.<\/p>\n Drivers would target FedEx delivery trucks and stage low-impact collisions \u2014 using\u00a0methods known as the “swoop-and-squat,” the “drive-down” or sideswipe schemes \u2014 and then exaggerate\u00a0or fabricate injuries\u00a0to inflate claims and drive up settlement values.<\/p>\n “FedEx is committed to protecting our customers and team members from fraudulent behavior,” the company said in a statement.\u00a0“Safety remains our highest priority, and we have filed this litigation to address concerning patterns in certain auto accidents and medical claims.”<\/p>\n In response to a request for comment from Newsday,\u00a0Ikhilov referred a reporter to a Facebook post that said his firm has managed three cases against FedEx in 10 years, with no findings of fraud by the courts.<\/p>\n “Each client chose their own different doctor,” Ikhilov wrote. “Each client chose their own different surgeon. These were not made-up claims. These were real cases involving real people, and I fought for them just as I fight for every client who comes through my door. Just as every client would want their lawyer to do.”<\/p>\n The FedEx lawsuit, which follows the pattern of similar complaints filed across the country by the ridesharing service Uber, comes as Gov. Kathy Hochul has launched a crackdown<\/a>\u00a0on staged vehicle crashes that cause drivers\u2019 insurance premiums to escalate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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