Dr. Midei is accused of implanting more than 600 patients with potentially unnecessary heart stents for which the hospital billed the government and private insurers more than $6.6 million. The committee’s report called the situation “a clear example of potential fraud, waste and abuse.”
The report, which includes excerpts of numerous emails, letters and documents obtained by subpoena, cited an email where officials from Abbott Laboratories — a manufacturer of heart stents — congratulated Dr. Midei for implanting 30 stents in one day, calling it a “record.”
The committee, which oversees Medicare and Medicaid, is particularly interested in whether Abbott’s relationships with Dr. Midei encouraged him to “intensify his use of stents, with unfortunate results,” according to the report. A previously undisclosed report by St. Joseph, which was obtained by the committee, concluded that Dr. Midei’s actions put patients at risk for harm by exposing them to possible complications.
According to the report, Abbott paid Dr. Midei more than $30,000 to market one of its stents in Japan and hosted a “beers and crabs” dinner at his home for employees of St. Joseph’s cardiac cath lab. Abbott said it has since ended its relationship with Dr. Midei.
Committee Chairman Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said in a statement that the findings could signal a larger national trend of wasteful medical device use.
Dr. Midei contends he never performed any procedures improperly and has sued the hospital for $60 million, alleging the hospital unfairly ruined his reputation.
Read the Baltimore Sun report on unnecessary heart stents.
Read previous coverage on heart stents:
– Maryland Committee Investigating Stents to Release Report by End of Month
– Maryland Cardiologist Accused of Performing Unnecessary Stents Sues Hospital
