I’ve seen this potential for abuse over the years.  It’s probably just jealousy on my part… we get donuts from the reps, some of the surgeons get all expense paid trips to exotic (well, sometimes exotic) locations.  There may be nothing really going on here, but the potential for abuse is real both for surgeons and hospitals who engage in agreements.

New Hips Gone Awry Expose U.S. Kickbacks in Doctors’ Conflicts – Bloomberg