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| First Docs Charged in Rent-a-Patient Scheme
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Three years after California's Orange County District Attorney's Office charged administrators at the Unity Outpatient Surgery Center in Buena Park with dozens of felony counts in an alleged rent-a-patient scheme, three physicians have been charged for allegedly performing thousands of unnecessary procedures at the facility, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Michael Chan, MD, an obstetrician from Cerritos, Calif.; William Hampton, MD, a surgeon from Seal Beach, Calif.; and Mario Z. Rosenberg, MD, a gastroenterologist from Beverly Hills, Calif., were each charged with "47 felony counts, including conspiracy for allegedly billing 19 insurance companies $30 million after performing unnecessary colonoscopies and surgeries on 940 patients," meaning they could each face 50 years in prison, according to the L.A. Times. In all, 17 people have been arrested for their alleged parts in the scheme.
The original two-year investigation found that about 5,000 healthy patients were recruited nationwide and flown to California, where they underwent surgeries that were billed at excessive amounts to their insurance companies. Prime targets were those whose insurance plans didn't require pre-approval for the procedures performed or for out-of-network care.
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| Knee Replacement Surgery Enters Outpatient Arena
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A new implant and surgical technique promises immediate relief of knee arthritis pain and shorter post-op recovery — and may let patients walk out of your facility just hours after knee replacement surgery — according to Eugene Wolf, MD, the orthopedic surgeon who last month used the technology for the first time in the United States. The implant, called the Oxford system, was developed in England and received FDA approval a little over a year ago.
Unlike total knee surgery, the Oxford system employs a unicompartmental approach to resurface the most arthritic surfaces of the knee while keeping the healthy ligaments and joint surfaces intact. The system also employs a mobile meniscal-bearing insert that protects the knee from the breakdown and loosening that may result from traditional replacement techniques, according to Dr. Wolf.
David Geier, MD, director of the Medical University of South Carolina's Sports Medicine Department and assistant professor of orthopedic surgery, says total joint surgeons disagree about the efficacy of unicompartmental knee replacement procedures. "A total knee may be better for the patient, more reliable and easier to revise," he explains.
Dr. Geier believes it will take several years before the Oxford system becomes commonplace, as total joint surgeons do not routinely perform basic unicompartmental procedures. "Numerous patients have arthritic changes outside of just the medial compartment," he says, "so surgeons who do many unicompartmental procedures may be stretching the indications."
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| ASAPS: Steer Clear of Injectable Fat-loss Treatments
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A new implant and surgical technique promises immediate relief of knee arthritis pain and shorter post-op recovery — and may let patients walk out of your facility just hours after knee replacement surgery — according to Eugene Wolf, MD, the orthopedic surgeon who last month used the technology for the first time in the United States. The implant, called the Oxford system, was developed in England and received FDA approval a little over a year ago.
Unlike total knee surgery, the Oxford system employs a unicompartmental approach to resurface the most arthritic surfaces of the knee while keeping the healthy ligaments and joint surfaces intact. The system also employs a mobile meniscal-bearing insert that protects the knee from the breakdown and loosening that may result from traditional replacement techniques, according to Dr. Wolf.
David Geier, MD, director of the Medical University of South Carolina's Sports Medicine Department and assistant professor of orthopedic surgery, says total joint surgeons disagree about the efficacy of unicompartmental knee replacement procedures. "A total knee may be better for the patient, more reliable and easier to revise," he explains.
Dr. Geier believes it will take several years before the Oxford system becomes commonplace, as total joint surgeons do not routinely perform basic unicompartmental procedures. "Numerous patients have arthritic changes outside of just the medial compartment," he says, "so surgeons who do many unicompartmental procedures may be stretching the indications."
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| News and Notes
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A new implant and surgical technique promises immediate relief of knee arthritis pain and shorter post-op recovery — and may let patients walk out of your facility just hours after knee replacement surgery — according to Eugene Wolf, MD, the orthopedic surgeon who last month used the technology for the first time in the United States. The implant, called the Oxford system, was developed in England and received FDA approval a little over a year ago.
Unlike total knee surgery, the Oxford system employs a unicompartmental approach to resurface the most arthritic surfaces of the knee while keeping the healthy ligaments and joint surfaces intact. The system also employs a mobile meniscal-bearing insert that protects the knee from the breakdown and loosening that may result from traditional replacement techniques, according to Dr. Wolf.
David Geier, MD, director of the Medical University of South Carolina's Sports Medicine Department and assistant professor of orthopedic surgery, says total joint surgeons disagree about the efficacy of unicompartmental knee replacement procedures. "A total knee may be better for the patient, more reliable and easier to revise," he explains.
Dr. Geier believes it will take several years before the Oxford system becomes commonplace, as total joint surgeons do not routinely perform basic unicompartmental procedures. "Numerous patients have arthritic changes outside of just the medial compartment," he says, "so surgeons who do many unicompartmental procedures may be stretching the indications."
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