Credit: Annie Tritt for CIR
Spine surgery patients could have counterfeit screws in their bodies, all because a Southern California firm profited from knock-off screws.
Spinal Solutions LLC is at the center of the scandal, although the owner of the company, Roger Williams, remains MIA. Williams founded Spinal Solutions in 1999, and lived a lavish lifestyle from the company's profits. He's also under investigation for underpaying his taxes.
Williams was adept at courting clients—doctors. During his tenure, Williams amassed an extensive client base. There is no proof any doctors are involved with or had any knowledge about the counterfeit screws.
A sales rep with Spinal Solutions finally informed the FDA of the counterfeit screws in 2011, who began investigating the company. They sent a warning letter in 2012 and the company recalled screws in 2013.
Spinal Solutions closed down soon after, and hundreds of thousands of patients could have sub-par screws in their spines.
From the story: "The screws, real or fake, all funneled into what lawsuits claim was a larger scheme to bilk California’s workers’ compensation system, an employer-funded program designed to help those injured on the job. Some hospitals billed insurance carriers as much as $12,500 a screw before a 2012 change in state law shut down the astronomical markups. From that, Spinal Solutions stood to reap several thousand dollars from the sale of a single screw."
There's much more to this story—read the full investigation at The Center for Investigative Reporting.