A California doctor, Dr. Aria Sabit, has been sued more than two dozen times and is the subject of a federal investigation related to his allegedly performing unnecessary surgeries for profit. According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, Dr. Sabit, a neurosurgeon, was part-owner of a surgical implant distributorship. As part-owner, Dr. Sabit would receive a cut of every surgical implant he sold through his medical practice. The U.S. Justice Department has been investigating Dr. Sabit based on allegations that he performed unnecessary spinal surgeries, or performed more extensive surgeries that were warranted, in order to sell more of his company’s surgical implants. Now, the California state medical board has publically accused Dr. Sabit of performing unnecessary surgery and falsifying medical records with at least five patients. The board will now seek to suspend or revoke Dr. Sabit’s medical license.
Dr. Sabit’s implant company is what is known as a “physician-owned distributorship.” These companies allow physicians to profit every time they surgically implant a device sold by their company. This creates an obvious conflict of interest and may encourage doctors involved in these “physician-owned distributorships” to perform more, or more extensive, surgeries in order to sell more implants.
If you believe that you or a loved one may have been the victim of unnecessary implant surgery, or were otherwise the victim of medical malpractice, contact the medical malpractice attorneys at Stark & Stark for a free consultation.