The former chief financial officer of a California hospital and four other people have been charged in a series of health care kickback schemes that generated nearly $600 million in fraudulent billings for spinal surgeries, prosecutors said on Tuesday.Read more »
Legal
Ex-Stryker sales rep pleads guilty
A 35-year-old Chicago man who used to be a sales representative for a Hopkinton medical device manufacturer pleaded guilty to charges that resulted from his misbranding of a medical device. Prosecutors said they would have showed in court that Darnell Martin falsified documentation to sellRead more »
Judge rejects Birmingham neurosurgeon’s plea deal
In a rare move, a federal judge today refused to accept the guilty plea of a Birmingham neurosurgeon who admitted to performing unnecessary spinal surgeries on his patients and cheating insurers out of $11 million for them.Under the terms of a plea deal, Dr. Aria Sabit faced a maximum of 11 years in prison. Read […]
Thousands receive fake spinal fusion implants…
Thousands of people may be walking around with dangerous counterfeit surgical screws and rods in their bodies.Blame the accused counterfeiting company’s president if you wish, if you can find him. That is just what a dozen insurance companies did in a July lawsuit.But more importantly: who else is accountable? Read more »
Thousands receive fake spinal fusion implants…
Thousands of people may be walking around with dangerous counterfeit surgical screws and rods in their bodies.Blame the accused counterfeiting company’s president if you wish, if you can find him. That is just what a dozen insurance companies did in a July lawsuit.But more importantly: who else is accountable? Read more »
Court Nixes Strict Liability Claims For Spinal Implant
A federal judge has rejected a plaintiff’s strict liability claims against the manufacturer of an allegedly defective spinal implant that failed and led to a broken back.U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ruled July 15 that an exclusion from strict liability claims that applies to prescription drugs should be […]
Bloomfield Hills doctor in fraudulent spinal surgeries pleads guilty
Detroit — A Bloomfield Hills neurosurgeon accused of performing unnecessary spinal surgeries pleaded guilty Friday in federal court to health care fraud in two separate criminal cases.Dr. Aria Sabit, 39, admitted Friday before U.S. District Judge Paul Borman that his actions caused physical pain to his patients in both Michigan and California between 2010 and […]
Bloomfield Hills doctor in fraudulent spinal surgeries pleads guilty
Detroit — A Bloomfield Hills neurosurgeon accused of performing unnecessary spinal surgeries pleaded guilty Friday in federal court to health care fraud in two separate criminal cases.Dr. Aria Sabit, 39, admitted Friday before U.S. District Judge Paul Borman that his actions caused physical pain to his patients in both Michigan and California between 2010 and […]
Appeals court rejects case claiming Medtronic’s Infuse device harmed patient
Patricia Caplinger says a Medtronic representative was in the operating room when her doctor inserted its Infuse device into her spine in a way not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Read more »
Device Maker Accused Of Firing Accountant Over FCA Claims
Law360, Washington (April 28, 2015, 6:48 PM ET) A former accountant at a medical device company said in a threecount complaint in Massachusetts federal court Tuesday she was fired for bringing False Claims Act violations to management’s attention, even though she should have been protected as a whistleblower. Patricia Katz accused Beverly, Massachusettsbased SpineFrontier […]
Device Maker Accused Of Firing Accountant Over FCA Claims
Law360, Washington (April 28, 2015, 6:48 PM ET) A former accountant at a medical device company said in a threecount complaint in Massachusetts federal court Tuesday she was fired for bringing False Claims Act violations to management’s attention, even though she should have been protected as a whistleblower. Patricia Katz accused Beverly, Massachusettsbased SpineFrontier […]
NuVasive® Reaches Agreement in Principle to Settle OIG Matter
SAN DIEGO, CA–(Marketwired – April 29, 2015) – NuVasive, Inc. (NASDAQ: NUVA) (“NuVasive” or the “Company”), a medical device company focused on developing minimally disruptive surgical products and procedures for the spine, today announced that it has reached an agreement in principle with the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) related to the previously disclosed subpoena […]
Medtronic opts to settle federal lawsuit regarding Memphis products
Rather than waiting for a trial, Medtronichas opted to pay $4.4 million to settle a federal lawsuit. The company was accused of falsely labeling medical devices from China and Malaysia as made in the United States and selling those devices to the U.S. military. Federal law requires those products must be made domestically. Medtronic’s spinal […]
Medtronic settles off-label promotion allegations
MINNEAPOLIS — Medical device maker Medtronic will pay $2.8 million to the U.S. Justice Department to settle allegations that it paid doctors to push an unapproved use of one of its products.Justice officials accused Medtronic of promoting uses of a neuro-stimulation device that were not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The Justice […]
Judge keeps Detroit-area doctor locked up on fraud charges
DETROIT (AP) — Saying it’s not even close, a judge is keeping a Detroit-area doctor behind bars while he awaits trial in a case of alleged fraud involving botched back surgeries.Judge Paul Borman believes there’s a serious risk that Dr. Aria Sabit (SAB’-it) will flee the country if granted bond. The decision was released Friday, […]
Southfield doctor seeking bond after fraud accusations
Dec. 31, 2014 (macombdaily.com)–A Southfield-based doctor from Bloomfield Hills is seeking a bond as his medical malpractice case heads toward trial, but prosecutors fear he may flee to his native Afghanistan if released. Aria Sabit, accused of improperly performing lumbar spinal fusions, has been in custody since late November, when a criminal complaint was unsealed […]
Southfield doctor seeking bond after fraud accusations
Dec. 31, 2014 (macombdaily.com)–A Southfield-based doctor from Bloomfield Hills is seeking a bond as his medical malpractice case heads toward trial, but prosecutors fear he may flee to his native Afghanistan if released. Aria Sabit, accused of improperly performing lumbar spinal fusions, has been in custody since late November, when a criminal complaint was unsealed […]
California doctors used fake hardware in spine surgeries, lawsuits say
Jul 03, 2014–Doctors in Southern California have implanted counterfeit screws and rods, ginned up in a small machine shop, into the backs of thousands of injured workers, according to lawsuits filed throughout the state.Some doctors who used the bogus hardware took kickbacks including cash andRead more »
Medtronic and the ethics of ‘lawyering’
Medtronic’s proposal last week to buy Covidien to grow earnings and avoid paying U.S. taxes is a smart bit of “lawyering.” But it exposes once again the gap between law and justice.In the West since Aristotle wrote about politics, people have been uncomfortable when the law of the state fails to Read more »
Medtronic will pay U.S. $9.9 million to settle kickback allegations
WASHINGTON – (Jim Spencer, Star Tribune)–Medtronic Inc. will pay the U.S. Justice Department $9.9 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit that accused thecompany of paying kickbacks to doctors for using its defibrillators and pacemakers.The alleged kickbacks, according to the newly unsealed suit, included “gifts of wine and alcohol” and “trips to strip clubs” paid for by […]
J&J Faces Second Trial Over Recalled Hip After Loss
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)’s DePuy unit, which just lost a $8.3 million verdict in the first trial over its recalled metal hip implant, now faces a second jury that will consider whether the design was defective.Jurors in Chicago will hear opening statements today about a lawsuit by Carol Strum, 54, an Illinois nurse who claims […]
Senators push to repeal U.S. medical device tax; success unlikely
(Reuters) – A bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced legislation on Thursday to repeal a tax on medical devices that is part of President Barack Obama’s healthcare law, although the proposal likely faces an uphill climb in Congress.The tax applies to a range of medical products – everything from bedpans and surgical tools to the […]
MN Businesses, Lawmakers Lash Out Against Medical Device Tax
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Minnesota’s medical device makers say a new tax to help pay for the federal health care law could cause cutbacks, and even layoffs.The state is home to more than 700 medical device companies, and between 250,000 to 300,000 workers.The nine employees left at Signus, a Chanhassen-based spinal implant company, took a 40 […]
Zimmer Told to Pay Stryker $70 Million in Patent Case
Zimmer Holdings Inc. was told to pay $70 million to Stryker Corp. for infringing patents related to a device that removes damaged tissue and cleans bones during joint-replacement surgery.Zimmer infringed three Stryker patents, a federal jury in Grand Rapids, Michigan, said today. The jury also found the infringement was willful, meaning U.S. District Judge Robert […]
Synthes USA files breach of contract claim against former sales rep for converting customers
A suburban Philadelphia manufacturer of medical devices has filed a civil action against a former employee that claims the man violated his contract with the plaintiff when he allegedly converted customers who formerly did business with the plaintiff to the new company at which the defendant was hired following his departure from his former company.Attorneys for […]
World-renowned Orthopedic Surgeon Sues Medical Device Company For Breach Of Contract
BUFFALO, N.Y., Jan. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Andrew Cappuccino, M.D., a world-renowned orthopedic surgeon based in Buffalo, has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Federal Court, Southern District of California, accusing NuVasive, Inc., of breach of contract.In a civil complaint filed today, Dr. Cappuccino charges NuVasive, a Delaware corporation, with principal offices in San Diego, […]
Orthofix Concludes Bone Growth Stimulator Investigation
LEWISVILLE, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Orthofix International N.V., (OFIX) (the Company) announced today that it has resolved all matters related to the investigation of its bone growth stimulation business. Consistent with the agreement in principle that the Company previously announced in May 2011, the Company will pay approximately $43 million to resolve all civil and criminal matters, which […]