Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1208835
32 ORTHOPEDICS NYC orthopedic surgeon's office manager alleges doctor set her up for grand larceny arrest, charges: 5 details By Laura Dyrda J ohn Kennedy, MD, is being sued by his former office manager, who alleges he hired a private detective to follow her and had her falsely arrested and charged with grand larceny, according to an NBC News report. Five things to know: 1. Susanne Schafmeister, Dr. Kennedy's for- mer office manager, accused him of discrimi- natory behavior and alleges NYU Langone Health, where they both worked and Dr. Kennedy serves as head of the foot and ankle division, didn't handle her allegations against Dr. Kennedy appropriately. 2. Dr. Kennedy and Ms. Schafmeister had a history together extending back more than a decade and beyond the clinical practice. e two began dating more than 10 years ago be- fore Ms. Schafmeister became the operations manager for Dr. Kennedy's private practice. 3. e two had broken off their relationship before Dr. Kennedy took his post at NYU Langone Health earlier this year, but Ms. Schafmeister followed him to the hospital. While both were at NYU Langone, Ms. Schafmeister alleges Dr. Kennedy harassed her and she filed a complaint with the health system's HR department. 4. In November, Ms. Schafmeister was arrested on second-degree grand larceny charges for writing a $12,000 bonus check to herself from Dr. Kennedy's private practice. In the lawsuit, she states Dr. Kennedy told her to issue the check and then filed a complaint stating she did not have permission to do so. Ms. Schafmeister denies those allegations, along with allegations in the complaint that she embezzled more than $100,000 from the practice. 5. NYU Langone Health maintained it takes inappropriate behavior allegations seriously and will continue to investigate. e health system also plans to defend the federal com- plaint in court. n 4 pillars of Stryker's growth strategy from CEO Kevin Lobo By Laura Dyrda S ince Stryker CEO Kevin Lobo took the helm in 2012, the company has nearly doubled revenues. Mr. Lobo discussed his strategy at the Chief Executive's Health- care CEO Summit earlier this month. Four key notes: 1. Stryker has an aggressive acquisition strat- egy that prizes add-ons to fit into its existing business so the company can strengthen its position in all lines. "We want to be absolute leaders in the field," Mr. Lobo said at the event. 2. Research and development is an impor- tant aspect of the company's acquisitions to ensure the technology is sound. Mr. Lobo reported Stryker spends around 6.5 percent of revenue on R&D, according to the report. 3. Mr. Lobo prizes de-risked buys and would rather spend extra on acquiring technology he knows will work and then apply Stryker's expertise to scale manufacturing. 4. Finally, Mr. Lobo attributed the company's success to the autonomy he gives divisional leaders to innovate and identify the best deals to present at headquarters. n Wisconsin health system settles orthopedic surgeon's kickback violation allegations for $10M: 5 details By Laura Dyrda M ilwaukee-based Agnesian HealthCare and its physician group will pay $10 million to settle a whistleblower suit brought by orthopedic surgeon Clark Searle, MD, alleging the health sys- tem paid kickbacks and other financial incentives for patient referrals, according to the Fond du Lac Reporter. Five things to know: 1. Dr. Searle filed the lawsuit in 2014 alleging that the health system adjusted physician pay from 1996 to 2015 based on the physician's specialty referrals to the health system's hospitals, services and other facilities. He also contended that the health system made deferred compensation payments that made it difficult for physicians who left the system to refer patients to competitors. 2. The complaint also describes an environment where Agnesian made deals on the side to procure additional compensation for physicians designated as high-referrals sources. 3. Agnesian denied claims in the lawsuit, and said it does not track referral leaks in the report. 4. Dr. Searle joined the health system in 2006 and served on the board of directors for three years. He ended his employment with the health system in July 2017 and reported that he had tried to raise concerns about Agnesian's compensation method while there. 5. The federal government declined to intervene in the case. n