Whistleblowers Allege Massive Spinal Fusion Scheme

By Greg Jones, Western Bureau ChiefA whistleblower complaint unsealed in July alleges more than 90 defendants in Southern California, including Pacific Hospital of Long Beach and its embattled owner Michael Drobot Sr., bilked insurance companies out of hundreds of millions of dollars on spinal fusion procedures.According to the complaint, the defendants cashed in on the pass-through for medical equipment used in fusions – which was repealed by Senate Bill 863 – “through the unlawful employment of ‘runners, cappers and steerers,’ overbilling, illegal kickbacks to d...