Ross
Well-known member
http://www.startribune.com/business/95662999.html
You can bet if they're doing it, so are the others.
You can bet if they're doing it, so are the others.
St. Jude Busted
- Thread starter Ross
- Start date
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As long as health care is a for profit enterprise, this sort of thing will continue.
Jim
Jim
Doesn't surprise a bit. Thanks for sharing the info.
Hmmmm... The good old "American way"!
Thanks for your posting--very informative and timely.
There was a repeat radio broadcast on the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) yesterday of Peter Gzowski's programme about persons Canadians should know about. Gzowski's guest was/is the recipient of a Nobel Peace prize, an MD and a lot of other initials following his name as well.
Evidently in 2002 the initial broadcast date of this interview, the good doctor was concerned about MD's not associated with universities accepting from $500 to $1 million each from drug companies to prescribe new to the market meds for whatever ailed their patients without telling them they were the clinical test group.
The posting about St. Jude doesn't surprise me in the least. For them it's just "business as usual". Hopefully world-wide litigators will successfully sue their pants off and teach them a lesson about who, where and when they can take advantage.
There was a repeat radio broadcast on the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) yesterday of Peter Gzowski's programme about persons Canadians should know about. Gzowski's guest was/is the recipient of a Nobel Peace prize, an MD and a lot of other initials following his name as well.
Evidently in 2002 the initial broadcast date of this interview, the good doctor was concerned about MD's not associated with universities accepting from $500 to $1 million each from drug companies to prescribe new to the market meds for whatever ailed their patients without telling them they were the clinical test group.
The posting about St. Jude doesn't surprise me in the least. For them it's just "business as usual". Hopefully world-wide litigators will successfully sue their pants off and teach them a lesson about who, where and when they can take advantage.
Ross
Well-known member
I'm just trying to reiterate the point to some folks here that this does, indeed, happen. It's now uncovered and no way can it be defended.
And I am sure St Jude is just fine with the penalty. That was a drop in the bucket compared to how much more they made by "buying business". Not only the company but, ordinary stockholders benifited financialy too.
Right or wrong it happens everyday all over the world.Most call it marketing.lol
Right or wrong it happens everyday all over the world.Most call it marketing.lol
So that's why I didn't get an On-X valve.
daveguy14
Well-known member
I am relieved to see this thread is about illegal kickbacks. When I first read the title I thought someone's valve bit the dust. 
Like it or not it's business ... it happens virtually in all businesses that supply goods or services ... when I was in the automotive biz vendors would lavish gifts during the holidays, take us to lunch and dinner ... drug reps supply doctors offices with meals ... the list goes on...
Ross, thanks for the heads up. One of the hospital companies that was fined, Norton Healthcare in Louisville, KY, is my network provider:frown2:. I'll make sure my doc doesn't try to direct me towards one of St. Judes "new and improved" products:rolleyes2:....or if they do, I want a cut:cool2:.
Ross
Well-known member
Just so we all understand each other, I'm not knocking the product or products, just that I've known these practices have been going on and it's not just St. Jude, yet some people here more or less told me I was full of it. Now the cats out of the bag and I am not full of it!
Wow. you scared me for a minute there, Ross! I just had my St Jude pacemaker replaced last week with another one and I thought you were going to tell me it had been recalled! I'm waiting for my Merlin to come in the mail; it will read my pacer every night and if they see anything untoward on it they will notify my electrophysiologist. I haven't been told what it costs and I'm not asking either, probably make my A-fib act up big time!!
Interesting!
Gee, they got a GREAT product, no need to cheat. :thumbup:
Gee, they got a GREAT product, no need to cheat. :thumbup:
Thanks for the posting Ross,
My spouse works in pharmaceutical and this was a fairly common practice several years ago in pharmaceutical.
There has been radical change and far more ethics in last few years and "medical education" has changed in many ways, where no longer hosted at exotic resorts, no longer paid spouses and perks etc.
Interesting that both the lawsuit 2006 and the CBC program 2002 and although there may still be some of that, it is way better today than just a few short years ago.
Hope St.Jude did not influence my aortic implant (grin)
Gil
My spouse works in pharmaceutical and this was a fairly common practice several years ago in pharmaceutical.
There has been radical change and far more ethics in last few years and "medical education" has changed in many ways, where no longer hosted at exotic resorts, no longer paid spouses and perks etc.
Interesting that both the lawsuit 2006 and the CBC program 2002 and although there may still be some of that, it is way better today than just a few short years ago.
Hope St.Jude did not influence my aortic implant (grin)
Gil
Well, they sure as hec influenced mine, gol dang them--laughing.
Glad you're doing well.
Kathy McCain
Well-known member
Ross, Thanks for the article. I am not surprised though at all.
wcasey5
Well-known member
my thought exactly! Nice find Ross
Please just bear in mind that marketing practices have no bearing on how good the actual product is. On-X had some of the most outrageously outdated and misleading statistics posted on their dite, last time I looked. Makes me sick to think people see that. Almost all of them go out of their way to show their competition in a bad light, no matter how abusive the method. Part of the reason St. Jude took so many years to bring their tissue valve into the US market is that they had been poisoning the well so savagely for all their tissue competition for so long, they couldn't think of a way to market it.
Try to judge the products on their own merits and features, rather than on "comparisons" you view on their brand websites, or things you hear about their sales and marketing people. If you are minded to, you should choose and insist on your choice of products. As often as not, the surgeon will advise you to use the one he has in stock, not one that is necessarily perfectly chosen for you. In their defense, many tend to think the brands are basically interchangeable.
Best wishes,
Try to judge the products on their own merits and features, rather than on "comparisons" you view on their brand websites, or things you hear about their sales and marketing people. If you are minded to, you should choose and insist on your choice of products. As often as not, the surgeon will advise you to use the one he has in stock, not one that is necessarily perfectly chosen for you. In their defense, many tend to think the brands are basically interchangeable.
Best wishes,
Rebates are a common part of pricing contracts and not necessarily illegal or unethical. Not sure what St Judes did with their rebates that made them illegal. I worked for J&J for 9 years and remember delivering some very hefty rebates to state medicaid programs which were received with glee.
