Press Room

PODs have been of considerable interest to the national press, as well as the health and life science trade press. 

• Department of Justice Settles Lawsuit Against Spine Device Distributor and its Owners Alleging Illegal Kickbacks to Physicians, July 11, 2022
• Operation Profit: Some surgeons pull in millions by owning medical device companies, May 24, 2022
• US and Reliance settle POD FCA suit: $1m, no admission of liability or exclusion, May 5, 2022
• In Kaiser Health News, Tom Bulleit Examines Medical Device Kickback Issues of Physician Owned Distributorships, August 9, 2021
• POD Owner Settles Kickback Cases for $4.4m, May 4, 2021 
• POD False Claims Act Case Allowed to Proceed, September 18, 2020 
• "The Business Side of Medical Devices: Physician-Owned Distributorships," ConsumerSafety.org, July 2020
• “Sanford Health, top surgeon defrauded millions from government, complaint alleges,” Argus Leader, June 2019
• “Scrutiny Of Physician-Owned Distributors Is Far From Over,” Law360, April 2019
• “Medicare Advisors Consider Tighter Rules on Doctor-Owned Medical Distributors,” The Hill, April 2017
• “Medicare Advisors Decry Physician-Owned Distributorships,” Bloomberg BNA’s Health Care Daily Report, April 2017
• “Senate report discourages dealings with physicianowned distributorships,” Compliance Today, March 2017
• “Device Cos. Decry DOJ ‘Smears’ Amid Fraud Inquiry,” Law360, Jeff Overley, July 2016 (subscription required)
• “Doctor-Device Deals Need Scrutiny, Report Says,” The Wall Street Journal, Stephanie Armour, May 2016 (subscription required)
• “Senate report finds physician-owned distributorships lead to overutilization,” Becker’s Hospital Review, Emily Rappleye, May 2016
• “Senate Panel: Docs Owning Device Companies Have Conflict of Interest,” Bloomberg BNA, James Swann, May 2016 (subscription required)
• “Surgeons Using PODs To Skirt Disclosure, Kickback Rules, Senators Say,” The Gray Sheet, May 2016 (subscription required)
• “Health Care Cases to Watch in 2016,” Law360, Jeff Overley, December 2015 (subscription required)
• “Senators want more transparency, regulation for physician-owned distributorships,” Modern Healthcare, Shannon Muchmore, November 2015
• “Doc-owned distributors under the microscope,” Modern Healthcare, Melanie Evans, November 2015
• “POD Pressure: Senators Scrutinize Physician-Owned Distributorships At Hearing,” The Gray Sheet, November 2015 (subscription required)
• “Upcoming Hearing on Physician-Owned Distributorships Development,” Nathaniel Weixel, November 2015
• “OIG struggles to ID owners of physician-owned device distributorships,” Modern Healthcare, Lisa Schencker, August 2015 (subscription required)
• “Medicare “carve-out” arrangements: No safe haven for PODs,” Compliance Today, Tom Bulleit and Peter Holman, June 2015
• “Michigan doctor charged in alleged surgery scam,” Modern Healthcare, Lisa Schencker, November 2014 (subscription required)
• “Feds target physician-owned companies for unnecessary surgeries,” CBSNews.com, Jeff Glor, September 2014
• “Feds link former Ventura doctor to kickbacks, unnecessary surgeries,” SCPR.org, Karen Foshay, September 2014
• “Regulators, Medical Societies Take Action after CBS News Back Surgery Investigation,” CBSNews.com, Ben Eisler, June 2014
• “Selling the Spine,” KPCC, Karen Foshay, June 2014
• “Tapping into Controversial Back Surgeries,” CBSNews.com, Ben Eisler, April 2014
• “Industry Lawyers Take On POD Doc,” Orthopedics This Week Inc., Walter Eisner, December 2013, (available by subscription, including temporary free pass)
• “Letter to the Editor Orthopedics This Week - Response to “OIG POD Report: The Rest of the Story,” Tom Bulleit and Natalie Morris, December 2013
• “OIG POD Report: The Rest of the Story,” Orthopedics This Week Inc.,  John Steinmann, D.O., November 2013
• “Warning Over Doctor-Run Groups,” The Wall Street Journal, John Carreyrou, March 2013 (subscription required)
• “Doctor in Repeat-Surgery Probe Gives Up License,” The Wall Street Journal, John Carreyrou and Tom McGinty, 11 October 2012 (subscription required)
• “Why Physicians Should not be Permitted to Profit from Self-Referral to Physician-Owned Implant Distributors,” FDLI Policy Forum, Tom Bulleit and Sara Kraner, September 2012
• “Taking Double Cut, Surgeons Implant Their Own Devices,” The Wall Street Journal, John Carreyrou and Tom McGinty, October 2011 (subscription required)
• “Senators Request Probe of Surgeons,” The Wall Street Journal, John Carreyrou, June 2011
• “The Risks of PODs,” Orthopedics This Week, Walter Eisner, May 2011 
• “Hospital Bars Surgeon from Operating Room,” The Wall Street Journal, John Carreyrou and Tom McGinty, April 2011