The U.S. Department of Justice announced it would end its four year investigation related to off-label use of Medtronic's Infuse for spinal fusions.

Smith & Nephew has reached a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice in connection with their Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigation, according to a company news release.

Financial payments from orthopedic device companies to orthopedic surgeons have changed from 2007-2010, potentially due to several factors surrounding financial conflict of interest and disclosures, according to a news release from JAMA/Archives.

The trial for Dewey C. MacKay, MD, an orthopedic surgeon who is accused of prescribing 3.5 million painkillers over a four year period, is set to begin soon, according to a Cache Valley Daily report.

New provisions to crack down on fraud could help the federal government surpass the $2.9 billion in Medicare and Medicaid overpayments recovered last year, a 29 percent increase from the year before, according to a release from HHS.

The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a civil investigation into possible anticompetitive behaviors by Boston-based Partners HealthCare System and issued letters requesting information related to the system's contracting procedures with health insurers to Partners and Massachusetts' three largest insurance companies on Apr. 19, according to a report in The Boston Globe.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan's subsidiary, Blue Care Networks of Michigan, abandoned its attempt to purchase Physicians Health Plan of Mid-Michigan after the Department of Justice informed the companies that it would file an antitrust lawsuit to block the acquisition, according to a DOJ news release.

Attorney General Eric Holder said federal prosecutors charged a record number of people with medical fraud in 2009, but there is still a lot more work to be done, according to a release from the Justice Department.

Nine U.S. senators are urging the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission to develop guidance for hospitals, physicians and others developing collaborative care models that could avert antitrust perils, according to a report by AHA News Now.

A representative of the U.S. Department of Justice said he department will work with hospitals and other providers to create models of clinical integration that do not violate antitrust laws, according to a report by AHA News Now.