Orthopedic surgeons continue to express concerns over various stem cell treatments being offered to patients, according to Contact7.
Here are eight things to know.
1. Various clinics in Colorado and North Dakota are offering patients stem cell options to treat knee and hip pain. The clinics are out of different chiropractor offices. However, many of the stem cell treatments are not FDA-approved or covered by insurers.
2. Patients are being sent $6,000 to $10,000 bills for the stem cell treatments. And in return, many of the patients ultimately still need additionally surgery to treat the pain.
3. The Stem Cell Institute of America is a consulting company that provides its network of physicians with marketing material to comply with updated FDA guidelines. The organization puts on hundreds of seminars to educate the public about stem cell treatment. However, many of the seminars are led by unlicensed medical professionals.
4. West2North Medical Solutions in Bismarck, ND, is one medical clinic that offers stem cell treatments and is referred to patients at the various SCIA seminars. A Contact7 member visited the clinic after attending one of the seminars.
5. At the clinic, West2North offered the Contact7 crew member stem cell injections for $10,800, a 10 percent discount for attending a seminar. While the clinic staff member who recommended the stem cell treatment was not licensed, they informed the crew member a licensed medical professional would inject the treatment.
6. West2North offered the treatment just days after the North Dakota Attorney General filing that mentioned the different stem cell seminars being put on were, "untrue, misleading or unsubstantiated."
7. After the filing, West2North agreed to end its use of non-FDA approved stem cell injections. The chiropractor at West2North told Contact7 he disagreed with the attorney general's findings.
8. SCIA is aware of the debate in stem cell use and wants to continue researching the various possibilities of stem cells. They told Contact7 big pharmaceutical companies are not looking to patent stem cells.