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ORTHOPEDICS
Forest Park Medical Center kickback trial ends in
convictions for 4 physicians
By Laura Dyrda
T
he kickback trial involving Forest Park
Medical Center owners and physicians
ended with seven defendants receiving
convictions and one acquittal, according to a
report in the Dallas Business Journal.
Four things to know:
1. e jury found co-administrator Mac Burt
guilty in 10 of 11 counts against him. Four
physicians were also convicted in the case:
• Douglas Won, MD, was found guilty of
one of two counts against him.
• Michael Rimlawi, MD, was convicted
in three of four counts against him.
• Shawn Henry, DO, was convicted in
three of four counts against him.
• Mike Shaw, MD, was convicted in all
four counts against him.
Two other individuals — Jackson Jacob,
the owner of companies that Forest Park
channeled payments through, and work-
ers compensation insurance consultant Iris
Forrest — were also convicted of charges in
the case.
2. e trial revolved around a conspiracy in
which the physician-owned hospital received
$200 million in "questionable insurance ben-
efits" aer compensating physicians for re-
ferrals. According to the report, the hospital
provided around $40 million in bribes and
kickbacks that were described as consulting
fees or payment for the physicians to market
their practices.
3. e principle founders of Forest Park
made plea deals and cooperated with the
government. n
Orthopedic surgeon charged with
fraudulently prescribing narcotics
to himself in part of massive
federal takedown: 5 details
By Laura Dyrda
A
n orthopedic surgeon in West Virginia was charged
with fraud for narcotic prescription as part of a large-
scale federal takedown.
Five things to know:
1. The federal government brought a case against the sur-
geon, who wasn't named in the DOJ release of charges, for
allegedly fraudulently prescribing acetaminophen-codeine
for his own use.
2. The surgeon allegedly wrote prescriptions with his own
DEA number for relatives but kept the pills for personal use.
3. The surgeon used a driver's license stolen from a colleague
to pick up the pills at a pharmacy.
4. This case was brought against the orthopedic surgeon as
part of the Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid Strike
Force Takedown, which brought charges against 53 medical
professionals and 60 individuals total for misused controlled
substance prescription and abuse.
The charges covered more than 350 prescriptions for about
32 million pills.
5. A second case in West Virginia charged a physician with
distributing narcotics to a patient without medical necessity,
and whom the physician did not examine. n
Jury awards California
neurosurgeon $2M in
retaliation case: 4 details
By Laura Dyrda
A
California neurosurgeon won the lawsuit he
brought against the University of California
regents and two others, claiming his depart-
ment leaders retaliated against him for filing a griev-
ance in 2014, according to a My News LA report.
Four things to know:
1. The neurosurgeon, Mark Linskey, MD, claimed he
filed a grievance against the chairman of his depart-
ment at UC Irvine Johnny Delashaw, MD, and dean
of the medical school Ralph Clayman, MD, in March
2014. Shortly thereafter, Dr. Linskey was moved out
of his department, had his office relocated and was
barred from working with residents.
2. Dr. Linskey also claimed that after he filed his griev-
ance, he was transferred from general neurosurgery
calls to vascular surgery calls, which affected his
referral source. His pay was also reduced 55 percent,
according to the report.
3. The jury reached its verdict on Monday, finding in
favor of Dr. Linskey and awarding him $2 million.
4. In the second phase of the trial, Dr. Linskey will
attempt to have his neurosurgeon status renewed at
the hospital. n
