An orthopedic surgeon who fought back and won a court case after the society of orthopedic surgeons slammed him for testifying that another surgeon had committed malpractice has now won an appeal of the legal case. We reported last March on Dr. Steven Graboff’s successful lawsuit against the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), when….
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Manufacturer Hid Research Data About Pradaxa
In the four years since Pradaxa was approved to treat people at risk of blood clots and stroke, it has generated more than $2 billion in sales. But had people known what the manufacturer knew, its success might have been less meteoric. According to the New York Times, Boehringer Ingelheim, the German drug maker, was….
Continue ReadingMedicare Moves to Ban Doctors With Dangerous Prescribing Practices
Last month, we summarized an investigative series published on ProPublica.org about the wasteful and risky practices of Medicare’s prescription drug program, forged by carelessness, incompetence, political agendas or a combination. Earlier this month, ProPublica published a story that points to an increasing awareness of the problems and – remarkably! – institutional resolve to address them…..
Continue ReadingBig Name in Big Pharma Ceases Its Unsavory Drug Payments
We’ve been among the many voices decrying the practice of pharmaceutical companies paying doctors to promote their drugs. Now, in a welcome announcement, GlaxoSmithKline says that it’s not going to grease those palms anymore. As reported by the New York Times, in addition to not paying doctors to hawk their wares, the Big Pharma big….
Continue ReadingJohnson & Johnson Settles Risperdal Case Involving Fraud and Kickbacks
Fraudently promoting drugs. Paying kickbacks to the providers who pushed them. Sounds like the storyline for a premium cable TV series, but it’s just Big Pharma behaving badly. Again. Last week Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, agreed to pay $2.2 billion in criminal fines and civil penalties for illegally promoting the drugs….
Continue ReadingHospital Suspends Black Lung Program Under Black Cloud
A multipart story investigating how Johns Hopkins Medicine assessed coal miners’ claims of suffering from black lung disease has prompted suspension of its program. “Breathless and Burdened,” a yearlong effort by the Center for Public Integrity (Center), examined how doctors and lawyers, allegedly at the behest of the coal industry, helped to deny benefits claims….
Continue ReadingSuggested Reading—Medical Price Fixing
The Washington Monthly recently published a fascinating story-fascinating in the way of horror movies. Called “The shadowy cartel of doctors that controls Medicare,” it’s about how medical provider fees are determined. Author Haley Sweetland Edwards traces the secretive process to reach the inevitable conclusion that, essentially, the value of an MRI, a heart stent, surgical….
Continue ReadingManufacturer Knew Vaginal Mesh Product Wasn’t Fit for Human Use
Ever since it came on the market, vaginal mesh has proved problematic and has become the subject of thousands of lawsuits. Used surgically to treat prolapsed pelvic organs (those that have dropped out of normal position) and urinary incontinence, mesh products were marketed to doctors as an easier way to do a surgery that had….
Continue ReadingThe High Cost of Care Is Criminal
Dr. Gilbert Welch is a professor of medicine at Dartmouth who wrote “Overdiagnosed: Making People Sick in the Pursuit of Health,” a book we like a lot. As we noted in our blog “Overtested, Overtreated, Overcharged,” before he went to medical school, Welch majored in economics. He’s the perfect person to analyze the byzantine nature….
Continue ReadingTreatment Risks Climb When Drug Companies Plant Stories in Research Journals
Medical providers, insurance companies and well-informed medical consumers know that drugs, devices and treatments aren’t considered best-practice-or even credible-unless and until research has been conducted, the results reviewed by scientific peers and the results published in a reputable journal. So how was it, health reporter Martha Rosenberg asks on KevinMd.com, that blockbuster drugs such as….
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