AtriCure Agrees to Settle Over Kickback Claims

Cardiac devicemaker AtriCure has reached a tentative settlement with the Justice Department over a whistle-blower’s allegations of kickbacks. The company, which develops surgical cardiac ablation systems, has agreed to pay $3.8 million to settle the qui tam lawsuit. The West Chester, Ohio, company was accused of using kickbacks and an off-label marketing campaign to induce physicians and hospitals to perform AtriCure’s inpatient cardiac surgical ablation procedures instead of other outpatient catheter ablation procedures, according to law firm Sanford Wittels & Heisler, which represented the whistle-blower.
Devices & Diagnostics Letter