Is the government going after physician-owned distributorships?

This Special Fraud Alert addresses physician-owned entities that derive revenue from selling, or arranging for the sale of, implantable medical devices ordered by their physician-owners for use in procedures the physician-owners perform on their own patients at hospitals or ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs). These entities frequently are referred to as physician-owned distributorships, or "PODs." The Office of Inspector General (OIG) has issued a number of guidance documents on the general subject of physician investments in entities to which they refer, including the 1989 Special Fraud Alert on Joint Venture Arrangements and various other publications. OIG also provided guidance specifically addressing physician investments in medical device manufacturers and distributors in an October 6, 2006 letter. In that letter, we noted "the strong potential for improper inducements between and among the physician investors, the entities, device vendors, and device purchasers" and stated that such ventures "should be closely scrutinized under the fraud and abuse laws." This Special Fraud Alert focuses on the specific attributes and practices of PODs that we believe produce substantial fraud and abuse risk and pose dangers to patient safety.

More: https://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/docs/alertsandbulletins/2013/POD_Special_Fraud_Alert.pdf