Medical Device Payments to Docs Hurting Patients
February 29th, 2008 joshua
An inspector general with the Health and Human Services Department told Congress that unspecified medical device makers have been paying off doctors for financial gain.
The companies control about 75 percent of the hip and knee replacement parts market and have spent in excess of $800 million in royalties and fees in four years to influence a doctor’s decision on which company’s parts to use.
This investigator also told Congress the practice of offering kickbacks to doctors is done to an unknown extent and is so common that it will be difficult to eliminate. He says this practice has hurt patients because it leads to them receiving inferior products.
This discovery comes during a debate on how much information should medical device makers be forced to disclose, especially regarding payments to doctors. Currently, a piece of legislation will only seek full disclosure from corporations with an annual revenue of more than $100 million.
