Here are three high-profile cases this year in which spine surgeons agreed to settlements to resolve allegations against them:
In May, Yasser Awaad, MD, surrendered his medical license and agreed to pay $5,000 to settle allegations that he misdiagnosed more than 250 children as suffering from epilepsy or seizure disorders.
Jeffrey Carlson, MD, agreed to pay the U.S. Department of Justice $1.75 million in April to settle allegations that he accepted kickbacks from SpineFrontier. Dr. Carlson is the sixth spine surgeon to settle fraud allegations relating to interactions with the spine device manufacturer.
In February, William Choi, MD, paid the federal government $2.35 million to settle claims that he violated the Anti-Kickback Statute and False Claims Act. Dr. Choi was accused of secretly running two implant distribution companies that sold implants to three Colorado hospitals where he performed spine surgeries.