Overall, the lawsuit names more than 110 U.S. David Polly, the chief of spine surgery at the University of Minnesota. It asserts that Medtronic paid more than $800,000 in 2006 to the eight Minnesota surgeons, including $344,375 to Dr. The lawsuit has nonetheless made an impact by providing one of the first public glimpses at how much Medtronic pays out. Department of Justice has declined to join as a plaintiff, even though the whistleblowers - two former Medtronic employees - filed the case on the government’s behalf. Some legal experts say the lawsuit is unlikely to go far. John Lundquist, a Minneapolis attorney representing the eight Minnesota physicians cited in the lawsuit, said his clients opt for surgeries and select products such as Infuse when they work best for patients - not because of financial relationships. District Court in Massachusetts - also accuses the paid doctors of overusing Infuse, a bone protein made by Medtronic that can improve the durability of spine surgeries but also is expensive and can result in complications. The concern is that doctors paid by Medtronic will be more likely to pursue surgery than continued medical therapy for back pain and will be inclined to use Medtronic products even if cheaper or better alternatives exist. Now attention is turning toward device makers, in particular Medtronic, which dominates the fast-growing spine surgery market. Questions about payments that have emerged over the past three years have focused largely on the relationships between pharmaceutical companies and doctors. ‘I don’t care how upright you are, if you’re taking significant cash … it’s going to cloud what you perceive to be the best way to treat a patient.’ Dennis Mollman, a former Twin Cities spine surgeon who moved last month to Illinois. ‘Had I taken on a consultant fee with one of the companies, it was going to cloud my judgment,’ said Dr. Some say they’ve refused offers to become paid consultants for Medtronic and other companies. The financial ties between spine surgeons and Medtronic are coming under increasing scrutiny with a congressional investigation and a federal lawsuit alleging that at least eight Minnesota doctors are accepting kickbacks from the Fridley-based device company.Ī few top surgeons are even questioning whether the millions of dollars in payments are harming their profession.
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