Osteopathic physician testifies in Senate Finance Committee hearing

The Senate Finance Committee invited John Steinmann, DO, an orthopedic spine surgeon, to testify in a hearing on physician-owned medical device distributors. Dr. Steinmann serves as a board advisor at the American Association of Surgical Distributors, where he helped develop a model for surgeon ownership in medical device distribution that mitigates conflicts of interest.

Typically in physician-owned distributor arrangements, a physician purchases a share or ownership interest of a medical device company in exchange for a cash investment. Opponents of this business model cite the potential for conflicts of interest these arrangements can create.

During the hearing on Nov. 17, Dr. Steinmann testified on the importance of enforced transparency, accepted quality and community standards, and appropriate use monitoring.

View the hearing and read Dr. Steinmann’s written testimony.