Former neurosurgeon Cully White, MD, is at the center of a whistle-blower lawsuit involving kickbacks and counterfeit implants, according to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report.
Here are five things to know:
1. The lawsuit alleges Dr. White received kickbacks for implanting "counterfeit" parts in patients manufactured by Spinal Solutions, a California-based company now considered defunct.
2. Six months ago, Dr. White completed a federal prison sentence after pleading guilty to healthcare fraud in 2013. He served six months in a federal prison camp and then spent six months under house arrest.
3. This new whistle-blower suit also names Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center and Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare's St. Francis Hospital, where Dr. White performed procedures. The suit alleges the hospitals didn't vet Dr. White or the implant supplier properly.
4. Fifty insurance companies filed the suit while making similar allegations against physicians and hospitals nationwide alleging "a massive healthcare fraud scheme and conspiracy" charging patients and insurance companies for counterfeit implants.
5. Dr. White relinquished his medical license as part of a plea deal; before then, he had performed around 600 surgeries per year.