The Baltimore Sun: Stent sellers were allowed inside lab despite hospital ban

The Baltimore Sun: Stent Sellers Were Allowed Inside Lab Despite Hospital Ban
Salespeople for stent maker Abbot Laboratories were often allowed inside a cardiac treatment room at St. Joseph Medical Center while patient procedures were being performed, despite hospital rules against it, according to sworn testimony from Dr. Mark G. Midei taken as part of a lawsuit accusing him of implanting stents unnecessarily. Midei also denied receiving cash compensation and benefits from the Illinois device maker, whose payments for consulting work and dinners at the physician's Monkton home were detailed in a U.S. Senate Finance Committee report released last week (Bishop, 12/14). The Sun also has a timeline detailing the events of this case (12/14).

In other related news:

Modern Healthcare: Hospital Systems Dispute Findings Of Devicemaker Study
A group of large hospital systems has sent a letter to the Medical Device Manufacturers Association disputing the findings of a recent study put out by the organization. The study, released this past October, concluded that group purchasing organizations' contracting practices drive up the cost of medical products and, ultimately, the costs of care to consumers and payers (Rhea, 12/14).