Is real reform coming to the orthopedic implant business?

Zimmer, which paid $85 million to orthopedic surgeons and other “consultants” in the first 10 months of last year, says it’s making big changes “to aggressively reduce potential or perceived conflicts of interest inherent in consulting relationships between the industry and healthcare professionals.”

The company is reviewing all of its royalty deals on devices for the hips and knees, its key business lines, and has apparently suspended some payments as part of the process, according to this statement.

Zimmer is also “banning all company gifts to healthcare professionals and “prohibiting Zimmer-sponsored healthcare professional presentations at medical society events,” the company says. Funding for medical education will go through third-party institutions.

The changes follow a big settlement last year in which Zimmer and the other big players in the field agreed to pay the government a total of more than $300 million and to post their payments to doctors online.

Surgeons and Wall Street Analysts have already been seeing signs of change from Zimmer, Dow Jones Newswires reports.

“Collaboration with physicians will always be critical to advancing medical technology that improves patients’ lives,” the company’s CEO said in yesterday’s statement. “But the historical model for collaboration requires change to continue inspiring the confidence and trust of our stakeholders.”

VerSys Advocate V-Lign Standard Hip implant by Zimmer

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