An Andover surgeon agreed to pay $200,000 for accepting kickbacks in exchange for using a company’s products in spinal surgeries, according to a statement from federal prosecutors.
Dr. Tony Tannoury, of Andover, received and used free products from DePuy in procedures on Massachusetts Medicaid and Medicare patients, as well as in procedures performed overseas. Randolph-based DePuy agreed to pay $9.8 million to resolve allegations in the case in January 2023.
“Today’s settlement resolves allegations that Dr. Tony Tannoury solicited and received illegal kickbacks, and in doing so, used his patients as pawns,” Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Boston Division, said in a statement. “Health care fraud has serious costs, and serious consequences, and the FBI will continue to make investigations like this a priority as we work to deter this behavior.”
Tannoury is head of spinal surgery at Boston Medical Center. In a statement, BMC said Tannoury is “a highly respected spine surgeon” who remains in good standing with the hospital. “Tannoury made a personal decision to resolve a civil matter,” BMC said.