The Justice Department has launched an investigation into possible violations of anti-fraud and anti-kickback laws by leading medical device manufacturers. Medtronic, Guidant and St. Jude Medical are the focus of an investigation headed by the US attorney's office in Boston into possible improper payments made to doctors. With competition in the market for defibrillators and pacemakers intense, some critics have questioned the tactics companies use to win customers. In September, The New York Times reported on a Guidant program which paid cardiologists a $1,000 fee for implanting cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices and agreeing to complete a survey.
- see this article from The New York Times
PLUS: Guidant disclosed that it has received a subpoena in a separate investigation related to the recall of its Ventak Prizm and Contak Renewal defibrillators. Article