Becker's has reported on four legal settlements involving orthopedic companies and surgeons since Aug. 28.
1. Mighty Oak Medical and Medacta entered a settlement and license agreement to end a patent dispute related to patient-specific pedicle guides. Under the agreement Medacta has a non-exclusive license to Mighty Oak's patents related to the pedicle screw guides. Medacta also agreed to sell its MySpine Guides exclusively with Medacta pedicle screws through 2031.
2. A 61-year-old man who suffered complications after having a spinal cord stimulator implanted will get $1.25 million in a settlement. The man had surgery in 2017, but the surgeon allegedly didn't order diagnostic studies. After the initial surgery, the patient reported having incontinence and difficulty walking, the report said. A follow-up CT scan found he had spinal cord compression, and the patient had surgery to remove the stimulator along with additional laminectomies. The patient had exacerbated paralysis since.
3. Azon Medical agreed to pay $1 million to resolve liability under the False Claims Act for alleged improper billing of P-Stim neurostimulators, the U.S. Attorney's Office Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Between September 2016 and October 2016, the company allegedly sold the neurostimulators as reimbursable by Medicare under a code used for implantable neurostimulator devices.
4. Sartell, Minn.-based St. Cloud Orthopedic Associates settled a lawsuit that was set to go to a second trial and that previously netted a $111 million verdict. The Sept. 20 settlement notice ends a five-year legal saga that began when Anuj Thapa filed the lawsuit alleging the orthopedic practice left him with worsening leg pain and subsequent follow-up surgeries.