The five manufacturers produce nearly 95 percent of the orthopedic devices marketed in the United States, says the Department of Justice. Four of them — Biomet, DePuy Orthopaedics (a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson), Smith & Nephew and Zimmer — entered into deferred prosecution agreements with the Justice Department earlier this year, agreeing to pay a total of $311 million in penalties. The fifth, Stryker Orthopedics, cooperated with investigators and did not face criminal charges, but was still required to enter into a non-prosecution agreement involving increased disclosure, payment controls and scrutiny.
Orthopedic Device Makers Reveal Consultant Payment Info; OIG to Examine Physician Liability
Now that five orthopedic device manufacturers have disclosed their financial relationships with physicians, the OIG says it will be using this information to "determine whether some doctors could be liable in accepting illegal payments from those manufacturers," according to a report from BNA Health Care News.
