Study Dissects Financial Relationships Between Surgeons and Hip Implant Makers

Bernstein Liebhard LLP reports on a new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, which chronicles payments made to orthopedic surgeons by medical device manufacturers following the settlement of a 2007 lawsuit with the Department of Justice.

 

New York, New York (PRWEB) November 03, 2011

Bernstein Liebhard LLP reports on a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, which found that the orthopedic implant industry scaled back payments to orthopedic surgeons after settling a lawsuit in 2007 with the Department of Justice for $311 million.*

The lawsuit claimed that the five largest orthopedic device manufacturers, including DePuy Orthopeadics, paid kickbacks to surgeons in exchange for exclusively using their hip and knee implants. In lieu of criminal charges, prosecutors required the medical device manufacturers to disclose all of their consulting agreements with doctors, post payment amounts on their corporate websites, and allow federal authorities to oversee their actions.

According to the Archives of Internal Medicine report, a total of 939 orthopedic surgeons received $198 million in 2007.

Following the settlement, in 2008 the number of surgeons receiving payments from manufacturers, which includes DePuy, decreased by 40 percent. However, the proportion of surgeons receiving payments who had academic affiliations increased.

That year, 568 orthopedic surgeons received a total of $119 million from hip and knee implant manufacturers. Jason Hockenberry, a professor of health policy and management at Emory University and also the lead researcher for the study, stressed the importance of closely monitoring the nature of payments to doctors by medical device manufacturers to Bloomberg News, stating “We need to manage the potential conflicts of interest that arise from these financial relationships.”**

DePuy ASR And Pinnacle Hip Replacement Lawsuits

In addition to leaving many questioning DePuy’s propriety in compensating doctors for research and clinical trials, consulting, or as royalties for products they assist in developing, DePuy is also in the midst of defending thousands of lawsuits filed by plaintiffs alleging that they were injured after receiving DePuy’s metal-on-metal artificial hip implants.

In fact, two separate multidistrict litigations have been formed to handle claims filed in federal courts stemming from DePuy’s ASR hip implants and its Pinnacle hip systems.

In re: DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. ASR Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation (“MDL No. 2197”) is a consolidation of all federal DePuy ASR lawsuits, while In re: DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., Pinnacle Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation (“MDL No. 2244”) is a consolidation of the federal DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement lawsuits.

Since Johnson & Johnson issued its ASR hip recall in August 2010, Bernstein Liebhard LLP has provided a wealth of consumer information concerning both the Pinnacle and ASR hip systems on its website, http://www.consumerinjurylawyers.com.

If you or a loved one received a DePuy ASR or Pinnacle implant during hip surgery and have experienced hip replacement pain or had to undergo revision surgery, you may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages and other injuries.

For more information about filing a DePuy hip replacement lawsuit, contact an attorney at Bernstein Liebhard LLP at             (877) 779-1414       or at info(at)consumerinjurylawyers(dot)com.

*archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/171/19/1759
**bloomberg.com/news/2011-10-24/artificial-hip-makers-cut-doctor-consulting-pay-after-settlement.html

About Bernstein Liebhard LLP

Bernstein Liebhard LLP is a New York-based law firm exclusively representing injured persons in complex individual and class action lawsuits nationwide since 1993, including those who have been harmed by dangerous drugs, defective medical devices and consumer products. The firm has been named by The National Law Journal to the “Plaintiffs’ Hot List,” recognizing the top plaintiffs’ firms in the country for the past nine consecutive years. Only two firms in the country have been selected for the Hot List nine years in a row.

Bernstein Liebhard LLP
10 East 40th Street
New York, New York 10016
(877) 779-1414

ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. © 2011 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016,             (212) 779-1414      . The lawyer responsible for this advertisement in the State of Connecticut is Amy L. Abate. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

Contact Information:

Felecia L. Stern, Esq., Bernstein Liebhard LLP  info(at)consumerinjurylawyers(dot)com

http://www.consumerinjurylawyers.com

# # #

Felecia Stern
Bernstein Liebhard LLP
(212) 779-1414
Email Information

Related articles

• DePuy Pinnacle Hip Replacement Lawyers Meeting With MDL Judge (earlsview.com)
• Bernstein Liebhard LLP Reports On Developments In DePuy Pinnacle Hip MDL (prweb.com)
• Will the DePuy Pinnacle Bring the Next Wave of Lawsuits? (earlsview.com)
• Study Dissects Financial Relationships Between Surgeons and Hip Implant Makers (prweb.com)
• Rottenstein Law Group Anticipates Prompt Formation of Leadership Committees in Federal Multidistrict Litigation of DePuy Pinnacle Lawsuits (earlsview.com)
• Rottenstein Law Group Curious About Reserves Set Aside by Johnson & Johnson for DePuy Victims (earlsview.com)
• DePuy Metal on Metal Hip Implant Lawsuit News – Hip replacement poisoning (earlsview.com)
• Crucial Documents Could Determine DePuy Hip Replacement Lawsuit Results (earlsview.com)
• DePuy Pinnacle Implants May Cause Same Problems as Defective ASR Implants (earlsview.com)
• Bernstein Liebhard LLP Actively Filing Lawsuits In DePuy ASR MDL And Pinnacle MDL (prweb.com)