Spinal Devices Supplied by Physician-Owned Distributors: Overview of Prevalence and Use.

摘要

This report responds to a congressional request to determine the extent to which physician-owned distributorships (PODs) provide spinal devices to hospitals. PODs physician-owners can include the surgeons who implant the PODs devices; these owners have an opportunity to profit from using the devices their PODs sell. Critics of PODs claim that such ownership creates a conflict of interest that may affect physicians clinical decisionmaking. PODs assert that their devices cost less than devices provided by other spinal device companies.